Mentors
by RavensMind
Summary: A few years after her father's demise, Raven tells Robin she is scrambling to fill the void that departure of power left. Raven finds a mentor of her mother's who may be able to help her. Effects of such help brings Raven and Robin closer. At some cost...
1. Charitable Shadows

** Disclaimer: **I don't own the Teen Titans, characters, properties, etc. All credit for the creations go to the original authors.

(Look who's back. I know some of you may have been hoping for an ending to my other stories, well I hit a sizable writer's block on that story, and it hasn't changed after a few years. Instead, I've been working on this, so far I have 6 chapters drafted. Expect more to be posted in the next few weeks. I hope this story is received better than the others were. I should probably just let you read it now... Read and review, please. ~RavensMind~)

**Mentor**

**Chapter 1: Charitable Shadows**

Nervous as she started to leave the tower, Raven checked to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything. Books? Check. Instructions? Check. Cloak? Duh, check. To her surprise, Raven came across several notes of her mother's one day and had found a way to contact what her mother noted as her "guide". Well, it wasn't some fraud palm reader like they had in cities and such to scam citizens, this was much different. What exactly Raven would learn, she didn't know, but she did know this guide was still there and could help her. Since the death of her father, Trigon, she was able to show more of her emotions, but something felt…broken… Maybe this guide could help her find what the conflict was within her mind, she hadn't had much luck.

Crossing the halls of the tower from her room, she pondered telling the others about it. Predicting their reactions would go like so… first, Starfire: "Are you in need of aid, you should have informed us, we are your friends, I will help by making…blabber (or whatever it would be this time…). Second, Robin: "You shouldn't go alone, how do you know you can trust this person? Maybe I should go with you, at least." Third, Terra: "It sounds cool, can I come?" Fourth, Cyborg: "Robin has a point, Rae, we should be there just in case." Fifth…Raven groaned…Beast Boy: "I told ya there was something wrong with her, she needs to go get "fixed" Idiot…

That was enough for her, she decided she would tell them about it later… maybe just Robin, the others didn't have the mental bond that they shared, so he would react better, and help her explain it to the others. Or he might privately scold her for being reckless, either way, less irritation. Entering the living room, Raven glanced around at the others, who were busy with their afternoon rituals.

"I'm going to the bookstore for a while, I'll be back by dinner," Raven announced.

"You should have told us earlier, we could have all gone out together to "hang out" , maybe I can help you find some books… I loved the ones back on Tamaran,"Starfire said.

"Last time, you came home mad that some clerk and a reporter wouldn't leave you alone, I could go and keep them busy while you look," Robin offered.

"Have fun, Raven," Cyborg said, not looking up from his game.

"Don't be out too long, we still need to find…that thing…for you, so just hurry back, or I'll go," Terra said.

"If you find a worm in your book, ask him out, just your type…" Beast Boy said, making fun of her.

"Thanks, Starfire, but I know what I am looking for. I will deal with them, Robin, but thanks. I will try to enjoy myself and I will be back by dinner at the latest," Raven said.

"Nothing?" Beast Boy asked, noticing she ignored him.

"Yes, you are," Raven replied, and then she left the room.

Heading down the steps, she heard another set of footsteps slowly following her own. Turning around as she reached the last landing, she saw Robin coming down. Why?

"Hey, I just wanted to remind you that you and I have to organize our case files tomorrow, they are starting to pile up and I can't really find anything…" Robin said.

"It is really bothering you, isn't it?" Raven asked.

"Yeah. I know I kept putting it off and the pile got larger, and as you're my second in command, we both need to know what is where," he replied.

"Okay… You followed me just to tell me that?"

"No. I thought I might go with you, I have to pick up some books from that store myself."

"Oh… I can get them for you, if you'd like."

"What's the matter, can't spend some time with me now?"

"No, I actually had some…other things to get instead of books."

"Like?"

Raven looked at him for a moment with a slight-forced embarrassment.

"Do I need to say anymore?" she asked.

"Ah. Uh, no, I guess not… See you when you get back."

She smiled, nodded, and walked for the door, vanishing into a black portal.

Exiting her portal, Raven stepped out onto the grass of the forest floor in front of a stone crypt. Apparently, her mother's guide had gone into hiding shortly after Raven's birth. She approached the crypt door and pulled it open, revealing a long stone staircase heading into the earth. Glancing around, she decided to descend the stairs, wary of what she might encounter. Lit torches lined the stairs, casting deceptive shadows along the walls. The steps led down to a small cavern, lined with statues familiar to Raven. Others had been found beneath the library in Trigon's portal chamber. Yet, they were a bit different, as these were not completely uniform, or as identical, which eased her mind a bit. Crossing the cavern, she reached what looked like a door, but there was no handle on her side. When she reached out her hand and knocked, there was an immediate response in the form of a passionless, sharpened, feminine voice.

"…Ah, the demon-child. I wondered when we might cross paths again. It was inevitable… I suppose you have come for my head…" the voice said, echoing around the room.

"No. I learned about a guide my mother had who helped her with her emotions and powers, are you that person?" Raven asked.

"Perhaps… Why have you not come to slay me, or is this a ruse?"

"I killed my father, he has no control over me, my mind and power are my own, and I need help."

"We all require something… You tell me what help you need, and if I can assist, I will, but you will need to do something for me."

"And I'm supposed to trust you just like that?"

"If you suspected me as a threat, you would not have foolishly wandered in here as you did. Tell me what you need and listen to my deal or simply leave, you have the choice…"

Shifting nervously, Raven weighed her options; she really needed someone else who could understand what she was enduring, who could give a solution. Walking out of here without anything wasn't an option in her mind. Besides, her mother had trusted her in the past, she couldn't be much of a threat to her.

"Alright… I need help making and keeping my mind whole, after Trigon died, I was free, and lost a piece of my mind and power in the process," Raven said.

"Ah… something does feel different about you… I can assist you, but it will require a lot of patience and time."

"So, what do you want from me?"

"Your mother had some notes and tomes of mine I would like back. I'm sure you would know where they are, they will be useful to us."

"The only books I can think of that would be that old would be the few that are un-readable, the writing is in a language I don't recognize, and I know most languages."

"Yes, those sound like the books I seek. Bring those to me and come prepared, we will be exercising your mind extensively."

"Aren't you going to tell me your name, my mother didn't write it down and…Show yourself?"

"I will when you bring me those books. Now go, and return here tomorrow at the same time. We have much to do."

"…Alright. I'll be back tomorrow."

Without waiting for another word, Raven turned and headed back up the steps. As she left, she pondered the conversation. Calling the whole thing 'mysterious' would be an understatement. Hopefully, this guide would be able to help her, if not; she wasn't sure what she would do. Raven walked outside and closed the crypt door behind her, disappearing into a portal, heading back to the tower.

Arriving back at the tower, Raven found Robin waiting for her. He was leaning against the wall, smiling at her. There was something about his smile that made her uncomfortable and anxious.

"Hey. Did you get what you wanted?" Robin asked.

"No. It wasn't in yet." Raven replied.

"'It'?"

"Just some piece of clothing that Terra talked me into buying."

"Not going to tell me what it is?"

"No."

"I'll use my imagination, then," he said, smirking.

Raven sighed, "It is just a dress, stop imagining."

"Why would you want to hide that from us?" he asked.

"This wasn't something I really do, and telling or showing the others would undermine my authority as your second in command."

"I see…"

"So, why were you waiting to interrogate me?"

"I just wanted to spend some time with you today."

"Why?"

"I need a reason?"

"No… What did you want to do?"

"We could take care of organizing those files tonight."

"You certainly know how to charm a girl…" she said, frowning.

"I'm kidding, let's go watch a movie."

"Alright."

Robin walked with Raven to the elevator, pressing the button and leading her inside. He noticed that she wasn't acting like her usual self, something seemed to be bothering her, and he faintly felt her thoughts swimming through their mental link. "Something wrong?" he asked her.

"I've just been having a hard time meditating and dealing with my emotions lately," she replied.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No… it isn't very uplifting, and I'd hate to ruin the evening with it."

"If it's that bad, then it doesn't matter what we're doing."

"I said I don't want to talk about it."

"I don't blame you, but it won't help you if you keep it to yourself, and I want us both to be able to relax."

"Please, just…leave it alone."

"Okay…" he sighed, "just tell me if you want to talk about it later."

Feeling overwhelmed, Raven tried to center herself. The elevator reached the top floor and she started to walk out, stumbling a little, her body feeling heavier than it was. She felt Robin's hand on her shoulder, sparking a flurry of emotions and sensations. The stumbling was relatively new, she had been experiencing it for a few weeks, but the emotions and sensations took her by surprise.

"Are you okay, Raven?" Robin asked.

"Yeah… I think I'm going to have to skip the movie. Help me to my room?" Raven said.

"Sure… and then we are going to talk."

"No…"

"Something is obviously wrong and you have to tell me what."

"I meant I can't tonight…I could pass out during the conversation."

"Really? Then we will talk about it tomorrow."

Placing his other arm across her stomach, Robin helped Raven down the hall to her room. As they got closer, Raven started relying more on Robin's grip, her strength was draining quickly. This had happened before, but not so quickly, and not as strong. Helping her in to her room, Robin laid her down on her bed. There was a moment when he paused, before taking his arms off of her. They had been friends for a long time, and he wouldn't deny that he had been noticing her more as a girl. Tonight could have been nice, watching a movie together, enjoying each other's company. Under less worrying circumstances, at that time, he might have asked her what she thought of the two of them together. An array of reasons not to pursue her flooded his mind and he stood up fully, pushing the thoughts aside. He watched as she moved away and slid under her covers, undoing her cloak and dropping it on the floor next to her bed.

"Do you want me to stay?" he asked.

"This isn't… the first time this has happened. I will feel better in the morning, so you can go," she replied.

"Okay, I'll go. Just… come talk to me in the morning."

"I will… Good night, Robin, and thank you."

"Good night, Raven."

Walking away, he left her room and closed the door behind him. Now worry flooded his mind, this had been going on for a while, apparently, and she hadn't said anything. He briefly revisited thoughts of courting her, hating himself for thinking about it at that time. The link between them was strongest when either of them was in pain, or stressed. Although Robin didn't know, Raven had heard his thoughts about her through the link. Tomorrow would bring answers to many questions, they each hoped.

(Chapter 2 will be along in another week or so, I have some more polishing to do with it. Thanks for reading. ~RavensMind~)


	2. Sun Flares

(Here's Chapter 2, it isn't as long as others, so far there is only one chapter shorter. Based on where Chapter 3 goes, it's better this length. Enjoy. ~RavensMind~)

**Chapter 2: Sun Flares**

When she awoke, Raven found a glass of iced tea and a note on her bedside table. Reaching over, she picked up the note and read it. 'See you in the sunrise' – Robin. Raven deduced that he wanted her to meet him at their usual spot on the roof. Giving a small smile, she picked up the iced tea and took a drink. With the glass in hand, she got out of bed and headed for her bathroom. She took a quick shower and got ready, slipping into another leotard and clasping her cloak around her neck. Taking the glass and sipping it, she headed for the door, trying to think of how she would explain her problem to Robin. Raven didn't want to tell him any of it, he would just worry and ask her about it until she blew up in his face. At least, that is how these types of conversations usually went. The iced tea was a nice touch though; it would relax her mind so they could speak longer. Exiting her room, she walked down the hall to the stairs that led to the roof. Of course, there was something else to talk about as well: the few thoughts Robin had last night, and that topic was both frustrating and flattering. Her mind was made up on how she would handle it, though. Reaching the top of the steps, she opened the door and stepped out onto the roof. Robin was standing close to the edge, watching the sunrise, turning as Raven closed the door.

"Good morning," Robin said, showing an encouraging smile.

"Morning… Thank you for the drink," Raven replied, crossing the roof to stand in front of him.

"You're welcome…"

"…Aren't you going to ask me if I am feeling better?"

"I was, but not right away. I wasn't sure if you wanted to talk about it or not."

"I don't, but now I have to, or you and the others will start worrying about it… And we have something else to talk about, too."

"What's that?"

"One at a time…"

"Okay, so, what is going on?"

"When we defeated my father, we defeated a part of me as well, and ever since then, my mind has felt…broken. It has noticeable effects, too, like a loss of energy, and strength in my powers. Those two things joined last night and caused me to lose control. It hasn't been that intense before, though."

"This sounds serious… Is there a way to stop it?"

"I'm looking into it. Several notes my mother made looked promising, and I am going to be doing what I can with them to mend my mind."

"But there is no way to know if they will help?"

"Yes…"

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Like I said, it wasn't as serious then, and I was managing it, but now…"

"Raven, nobody can deal with everything on their own, we all need some help every now and then, and this…"

"Please don't start with that… it sounds patronizing, I know you mean well, but it won't help the situation."

"Alright," he sighed, "at least promise me you will say something when it gets worse or continues, and let us help you."

"I will," she replied, frowning slightly, anticipating the next topic. Robin stepped closer to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "We're friends, and I will help even if you don't ask," he said, smiling.

"I know you would… There is something else we still need to talk about…" she said.

"Right, what is on your mind?"

"It's more about what is on your mind, actually."

"What do you mean?"

"Last night, when my mind was racing, a few of your thoughts passed through our link to me. I think you can guess which ones I'm talking about…"

"Oh…you heard those?"

"Yes… And I'm not upset… it is hard to avoid those thoughts in… that position. This isn't the first time you've had them either, so… we need to talk."

"I'm not sure if we should talk about that."

"Me either, but it is out now, so we need to deal with it."

"Ok… We have been friends for a long time, after experiencing more things with you… I feel …closer to you. I'm sorry… I'm probably just adding another load on your mind."

"Yes…I feel…different… around you, in a good way, I have thought about you… But, I don't trust my mind right now… And before I can even tell you anything… I need to get it in order."

"In other words, you're saying no?"

"What I'm saying is, my mind needs attention, I need time…and so do you. There are at least ten reasons why you shouldn't even be thinking about me. We could spend more time together, though, as friends…"

"So, you're saying 'maybe'?"

"I'm going to say no if you keep annoying me with that question. Why should I say anything, you haven't technically asked me yet…"

"…Good point… we'll talk later, I guess. Do you need help with anything you are looking into for your mind?"

"Not yet. I'll let you know how it's going later."

"Okay… you're making me nervous."

"Well, you made me tell you…"

Robin laughed, "Yeah, I guess I did. Any chance I can make you say-?"

"Don't push it…" Raven replied, "Let's go inside, I need to get started."

"Sure."

They went back into the tower together, talking about the schedule for the day. The other Titans would be learning new attack patterns that Raven and Robin came up with from Robin for most of the day, giving Raven time to do as she would. Even though she had told him plenty already, she wasn't planning on telling him about her trip to her mother's guide. As for the dating idea, she was pushing and pulling it across her mind. Robin was being relatively mature about the entire matter, which she did appreciate. Maybe he was on to something… No. Yes? Ugh. Too much was going through her head; she really needed to visit her mother's guide sooner than she had planned. As they approached the living room, she broke away from his side, saying she needed to get started. Robin smiled and nodded, and then he turned and entered the living room. Heading for her room to get the books, Raven prepared her mind for whatever trial was ahead.

The others were busy with their own activities, so Robin decided to give them a few minutes before he interrupted them. Which would give him time to unwind, his conversation with Raven was still playing out in his head, and he was trying to sort it out while pushing it out of his mind's eye at the same time. He needed to be focused, especially if they were needed in the city. Sitting down on a chair near the kitchen counter, he stared off to the far wall, thinking. Robin felt bad for putting pressure on Raven with his few uncontrolled thoughts about her; it wasn't that he didn't want to think about her, just not then, or now. What did he need to wait for? He wasn't with Starfire anymore, that ended two years ago. It was sudden and maybe misguided, but he thought that he and Raven had spent enough time around each other, and this was just another step for them. He didn't really trust that view right then, he needed some more time to think about it. Where things would go from that point was unclear, which was nerve-racking. Stop thinking about that, now, he thought, he had things to do.

"Hey, what's up?" Terra asked, plopping down on a chair next to him.

"Just getting ready," Robin said.

"For what?"

"…We have…some new attack patterns that I need to tell you and the others about. We can't exactly practice all of them completely because Raven is busy, so I'm picking the ones we can."

"What is she busy with? She didn't come and see me when she got back yesterday, did something happen?"

"Not really, I think someone really irritated her at the bookstore, she wanted to be alone," he lied.

"Oh. That sucks. So, she's still dealing with it?" she asked.

"I don't know, I haven't spoken to her much today," he said, lying again.

"Damn, well, maybe tomorrow will be a better day for her. Now, when are we learning this new attack pattern?"

"In a few minutes, as soon as those three finish the race they're having…"

Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire were playing a racing game and as they reached the last lap, things were getting more intense. Holding first place at the moment was Beast Boy, but Cyborg always managed to pull ahead at the end, and Starfire was still mastering the controls.

"Eat my dust, screw-head," Beast Boy said to Cyborg as he got a boost.

"Prepare to become extinct, monkey-ass," Cyborg retorted as his car fired a missile at Beast Boy's.

"Where did you find that?" Starfire asked.

"Press the blue button after you get a gem and then- Yeah! Who's in first now, circus reject?" Cyborg said.

"Circus what? You're going down!" Beast Boy said.

"I'm moving up…Boo-yah!" Cyborg said as he rocketed across the finish line. "Can't beat my time now, you green fart."

"My car won't move anymore," Starfire said.

"The race is over, Starfire," Terra said, walking over with Robin.

"Oh. Can we start another?" Starfire asked.

"Sorry, Star, we need to learn some new attack patterns now," Robin said.

"Fine…I'll get him next time," Beast Boy said.

"Like hell you could…" Cyborg said.

"Enough, let's start, or we won't get through them all today," Robin said.

(Same drill, Chapter 3 will be up in another week.~RavensMind~)


	3. Shadow

**Chapter 3: "Shadow"**

Walking into the cavern once more, carrying her mother's chest of books, Raven set them down in front of the door. She was early, but she didn't see why that would matter, she hoped it didn't… Yet, the crypt felt empty and cold. Life seemed to ignore every inch of what she looked at. Darkness enveloped more than the room and sent a chill up her spine.

"Hello?" Raven asked, searching for a response.

"I see you have found what I sought," the guide replied.

"Yes… Everything should be there. So, now, my problem has gotten worse, I need help," Raven said.

"Very well, we shall begin…" the guide said. The door opened before Raven and a cloaked figure, standing a foot taller than she and hidden completely by shadows, as they seemed to swarm around the guide, stepped out.

"What do I call you?" Raven asked.

"My name is unimportant, as I have long forgotten it… You may call me what you see me as…" the guide said.

"Shadow?" Raven asked, at a loss.

"If that is what you see… Now, do you want to waste more of your time with socializing, or shall we begin?" Shadow asked.

"Ok, what do I need to do?" Raven asked.

"Sit, in your meditating position," Shadow instructed, starting to slowly walk around Raven. Sitting and crossing her legs, Raven waited.

"Now…empty your mind as you would normally, but envision those thoughts within the jewel in the book before you," Shadow instructed.

Glancing down, Raven saw one of her mother's books floating open in front of her with a dark blue gem fixed in the page. Doing as she was instructed, Raven felt her thoughts swell inside the jewel, turning it red.

"Now…what color do you see?" Shadow asked.

"Red," Raven said.

"You have just identified your missing part…what do you feel?" Shadow asked.

"Angry…just mad at everything for no reason…" Raven said.

"Focus… choose something you find repulsive and mentally push the subject into the gem with your anger…" Shadow said.

Forcing what she hated into the gem with her mind drained her greatly; she was quickly sapped of energy and was struggling to stay conscious. Something within her mind opened and a flood of new energy soared from herself and added to the gem's contents.

"Stay with it…just a few more moments…" Shadow said.

The jewel had begun to levitate, rapidly changing shades from red to blue, then to red, back to blue, finally settling on the palest white. Shadow reached down and took the jewel in her hand, crushing it in her darkened grip. Raven gasped as she felt her energy return and ceased meditating.

"How do you feel?" Shadow asked.

"Better, but I still sense that something is missing, yet not as much… It is hard to tell," Raven said.

"If you expected to become whole from just one session with me, you are a fool..." Shadow said.

"I know… So what actually happened to me?"

"You fought your mind to accept itself, by introducing it to what it had lost, and filling some of the emptiness with a connection to your soul. It was only possible to do within a vessel outside of yourself, in this case, this jewel. It works better with something living."

"Will I still pass out, or will I have to keep doing this?"

"You may pass out still, but it will not be so intense, and this same ritual will need to be performed only once more, but differently and much later. For now, we have other things we must do to prepare for that… Not today, as you need to rest after this."

"What will we be doing tomorrow?"

"If I tell you, it won't help you… come prepared."

"Right… Thank you for helping me, I've been out of sorts for a long time."

"It is the least I can do for you; I owe your mother a great deal for helping me escape… In a way, helping you would repay that, and possibly more."

"Am I…sane…right now? Would I still agree with my decisions after my mind is whole again?"

"Hmm… In a way, you are still you, but whole, you would be more rational, for sure. I believe you could easily adjust or come to terms with any choice made during this time. If you want to wait and see, that would be wiser."

"Is there any way to know when this process would be done?"

"If everything goes well, you may be whole in a month, if there are problems, perhaps in two or three. I know this type of magic well; it is improbable that you won't fully regain your mind."

"Thank you."

"Before you go, may I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"Are you living alone, or with others?"

"I'm a member of the Teen Titans; there are six of us that watch over the city."

"Trying to silence your father's lingering memory inside you by protecting others and denying what was forced on you through those actions?"

"That is a blunt way of putting it, but…I guess that's the heart of it."

"After you are whole, you may want to see if you would be content doing that any more. There is no telling what you may see in a different light."

"I'll keep it in mind…"

"That is all I ask. Go and rest, I shall be waiting for you here tomorrow."

Picking up the books, Shadow walked for her door, entering the heart of the crypt and closing the door behind her. Raven headed for the crypt stairs and walked out, entering a portal and appearing outside Titans Tower. Her mind was much calmer, and her thoughts were few. The ritual seemed to have helped her, she felt a change, and was in better spirits. Still, she felt drained and wanted to go to her room and lie down for a bit. Shadow's forthright comments were bothering her a little, and she was not entirely sure where the guide was heading with the suggestions. Raven was still unsure if she should trust her so much, but there wasn't anyone else she could turn to for this kind of assistance. Entering the tower, she walked to the elevator and pressed the button. The others were probably still practicing their-

"Hey Raven, ready to go pick up that dress?"

Turning around, Raven saw Terra, who was sitting on a chair off to the side, with an encouraging half-smile fixed across her face.

"I would, but I'm pretty tired right now," Raven said.

"It isn't even time for dinner yet, and you're tired? Been running laps around the city all day?" Terra asked.

"No. I'm just a little drained."

"Too drained to go and get one dress with a friend?"

"I know better, it isn't just going to be one dress… You won't stop pushing me until I have a bag full of stuff, and you have five."

"So? Come on, you usually like what I find for us. And you avoided me yesterday, so you don't have a choice this time."

"I wasn't avoiding you…" Raven said. She sighed and quickly tested her mind, seeing if she could afford to push herself any further. "Alright, I'll go. But only one thing today, please, I'm still tired."

"Okay, you've got a deal," Terra said, smiling.

They left for the mall through one of Raven's portals. Appearing outside the main building, they entered and passed several stores before they got to the one they visited last time. Every other store they passed, Terra would try and go in, and Raven would take her by the shoulder and lead her away. Really, Raven just wanted to run to the store, pay, grab the dress and just go, but Terra wasn't going to let her do that. This had turned into a ritual of sorts for them some months ago, when Terra had been having a lot of fights with Beast Boy. It had been Raven's suggestion, because she wanted to help her friend by taking her mind off of him and spend some time together. Not because she wanted to do it.

Pulling Terra along, Raven found the store and went inside. Not a few seconds passed before Terra asked, "So, are you seeing anyone?"

"Wh-Where did that come from?" Raven asked.

"You were gone awhile today and you had been gone the day before, I thought maybe you were out with someone," Terra said.

"No, I'm not seeing anyone; I just needed some time to myself to meditate where I knew I wouldn't be interrupted."

"Is your room not good enough?"

"Actually, no, because you or the others could knock on my door at any second, and it keeps me from maintaining my peace."

"We are just being nice; you need to spend time with people once in a while, and we worry about you when you don't."

"I spend plenty of time with all of you… well, except for Beast Boy, but you know why… although I did spend some time sitting near a dead tree, so that counts really…"

"Are you two ever going to stop being mean to each other?"

"Probably not."

"You should…It isn't good for either of you... So, since you aren't seeing anyone, is there someone you'd want to-?"

"Can we not talk about this in the middle of the store?"

"Ok, but we're talking about it later. What are you going to buy?"

"Just the dress."

"Well, last time we looked at-."

"No."

"Come on – it is summer and we'll go to a swimming pool or beach at some point on vacation."

"We have a pool."

"Just-."

"No."

"Maybe-"

"No."

"Hey, it looked great on you, and you said maybe, last time, so either you buy it or I'm getting it for you."

"Fine, damn it, I'll get that too, but nothing else."

"Fine," Terra said smiling, "now what should I get?"

"Out of here before I drag you away?" Raven said

"Just a few things…" Terra said, walking off to browse.

Raven sighed and took the swim suit from the rack and went up to the counter. Asking for the dress and shoes she had them hold, she paid for the items, hid the swim suit in the dress bag and sat on a nearby chair, waiting for Terra to finish. Might be here awhile, she thought.

(Chapters 4… and 5 will be up next week. ~RavensMind~)


	4. Nicest To You

**Chapter 4: Nicest to You**

"Try again, concentrate…" Shadow said.

It had been several hours since Raven had arrived, yesterday's gem ritual was a cake-walk compared to what she was enduring now. They had been doing this one ritual for over two hours and Raven was trying as she might not to howl in pain. Shadow's instruction was for Raven to enter herself, maintain clarity outside of her mind, and exert all of her power through both "doors" simultaneously for as long as she could. All the while, Shadow scrawled notes of progress across a piece of paper and encouraged Raven to continue when she had wanted to stop. The purpose of the ritual was to increase the amount of Raven's power; in preparation for what Shadow said would be the ritual that would ultimately heal her mind. Shadow still wouldn't describe what that ritual would need or how it would be done, because for it to work, she couldn't know ahead of time, or the preparation rituals would be for nothing.

"How…m-much longer?" Raven asked, cringing in pain.

"Another few minutes, at least, don't stifle now, or you will have to repeat it all over again," Shadow warned.

"Is there m-more to it?"

"Yes. I will be asking you a few questions, answer honestly, and quickly. They are quick, basic questions for you, processing and functioning quickly during this ritual will bolster the speed of recovery from any loss of energy in the future."

"Okay"

"How many do you live with?"

"Five."

"Name them."

"Robin, T-Terra, Cyborg, St-starfire, and B-beast-t B-boy."

"Which is nicest to you?"

"Robin."

"Which is meanest to you?"

"Beast Boy."

"Does he hate you?"

"N-no."

"Does he trust you?"

"Y-Yes."

"Why is he mean to you?"

"Doesn't fully u-understand my p-powers, or m-me."

"Back up. Does Robin care about you?"

"Yes."

"Does he trust you?"

"Yes."

"Why does he care about you?"

"I'm his second-in command. I created a link between our minds. He cares about all of us."

"Does he know about the link?"

"Yes."

"Do you care about him?"

"…Yes."

"Are you nice to him?"

"Yes."

"How many do you live with?"

"You already a-asked that q-question."

"Good. You have done considerably well. Your mother couldn't last beyond my fifth question. One last thing: I want you to pull your power completely into your mind and then breathe out…"

Drawing her power back in, Raven then exhaled, and blue smoke followed her breath into the air. Surprised by what she saw, she turned to Shadow.

"It is not uncommon with this ritual; don't concern yourself with the smoke. As I said, you have done considerably well; you should be very pleased with yourself, Raven. For the next week or so, you should be able to function better. By that I mean, you won't pass out, you will be able to use more of your power, and your mind should be clearer."

"What happens when the week is up?"

"Slowly, your mind will return to the state it was in before this ritual, but the amount of power you wield will not change. At our next meeting, you will need to answer more of my questions, during a different ritual. With that said, our next meeting will be in two weeks, as I have preparing to do, and you need to relax your mind."

"I don't know if I can wait that long."

"I'm sure you'll find plenty to keep you busy, what with all the criminals, lunatics, or fools causing mayhem. Or perhaps there will be something more pleasant…or maybe both…"

"Things have been quiet lately; I hope it stays that way. Lately, I have been thinking about my future, and I don't know if I want to stay where I am for much longer. But what else could I do?"

"Paths will reveal themselves to you in time, be patient."

"Yes, I will. Thank you again, I have to get going before they miss me."

"Of course… there is one last thing, it is quite important that you do this. You will need to meditate with Robin, since his mind is linked to yours; he needs to be able to keep his from becoming exposed to yours during the rest of these rituals."

"Alright… I'll talk to him when I get to the tower."

"Until our next meeting…" Shadow said, before disappearing behind her door.

Exiting the crypt, Raven stepped into a portal and appeared outside the tower. To her surprise, she found Robin leaning on the wall next to the front door.

"Why is it that every time I get back here, someone is poised, waiting for me?" Raven asked.

"I couldn't tell you... You have been out a lot this past week. I'm not sure that's good for you right now..." Robin said, concerned.

"Sometimes meditating in my room isn't enough, are you going to lock me in there if I want to go somewhere now?"

"No, but if you pass out away from here we won't be able to help."

"None of you... can help me," she said, walking past him. He grabbed her arm and whirled her around to face him.

"What is it? You aren't acting like yourself at all: you avoid Terra, you try and avoid me, and every time you come back from where you go, you are extremely tired and irritable. I've seen you meditate, and it doesn't make you act like this..." Robin said, "So, what have you been doing?"

Hesitating, she pulled her arm out of his grip and looked around anxiously, before looking at him again.

"When I started passing out, I tried to find something that could help me, and I came across the location of a guide that had helped my mother. So, I went to see if the guide was still alive and could help me..." Raven said, pausing for his reaction.

Robin started to say something, getting more concerned, but held back and calmed himself. "So, you have been going to see this person for the past few days?" he asked.

"Yes."

"And is it... helping?"

"Yes."

"That's good news... but you should have told one of us about it, what if the "guide" had attacked you?"

"I knew you would be like this... That's why I didn't tell you, I needed help, and coming in with the rest of you ready to blast a mouse if it even flinched at me wasn't going to get me the help I sought."

"You still should have told me," he said, his voice rising.

"I don't need to report every thought I have or action I take to you...you controlling ass," Raven said angrily, turning to leave. Again, Robin grabbed her arm and pulled her closer than she had been. He was about to snap at her, but thought that adding to her stress with a fight wouldn't help. Later, he would bring it up when she wasn't so on edge.

"Hey...I'm sorry...I've just been worried about you. It's just...I don't fully know what's happening to you and I don't know if it will get worse or not..." he said.

"I see. Sorry I snapped at you... So, I know you wanted to spend more time with me..."

"Yeah?"

"My mother's guide has been leading me through certain healing spells and the next ones will be rather intense... Because of the mental link through our bond, we need to make sure your mind can protect itself from the effects of the repairs mine will be going through. To do that, we need to meditate together."

"You're making me nervous again..."

"Um...Deal with it?"

"Okay," he laughed, "So when do you want to start?"

"Tomorrow, if we could," she said.

"Sounds good," he said.

They started walking into the tower together. Even though Robin wasn't asking her any more questions, she could practically hear more of them echoing in the silence. Does it hurt? Should I be getting ready in some way? Is this guide really the same one that helped your mother? I don't even know this 'guide's name... What is it? Why won't she talk to me about all of this?

"Stop it..." she said to him.

"What?" he asked.

"I know you are thinking of more questions about what I'm doing."

"Really? Ok... can you hear this next thought?"he asked.

She heard the thought, blushed, shook it off and angrily said:"...Think that again and I will mentally turn off that water, hit you with the curtain rod, and then hang you from it with a towel. Good thing I lock my bathroom door..."

"Wow, sorry," Robin said, chuckling.

"I hope you don't just want to spend time with me for _that_," Raven said.

"I don't."

"I'm not convinced, yet..."

"Are you saying yes?"

"I'm about ready to just-."

"I was just kidding, Raven, I'm still thinking about that whole idea too... "

"And?"

"I'll talk about it if you will." he said.

"Um...Later..." she said.


	5. Meanest To You

**Chapter 5: Meanest to You**

Closing the door to his room, Beast Boy walked over to his bed and sat down. Angrily, he threw the case to one of his games across the room. He had gotten into an argument with Terra, she said that he didn't spend enough time with her, and he didn't respond with what she wanted to hear. It was her fault, right? After all, he didn't start the fight; he was playing a game with Cyborg. Then, Terra said that Raven spent more time with her than he did, he thought maybe Raven was talking to Terra about him... that could be true, and he got angrier thinking about it. Maybe if he slept, he'd be able figure out what he would do about the fight when he woke up.

Tossing his belt off, he jumped into bed, put his music on at a low volume, and within minutes he was asleep. But he didn't feel like he was asleep, in a dream, he was lying in bed just as he had been, and was fully aware of himself. He stood up and looked around. Then, his own voice echoed throughout the room and his head.

"What if Raven is getting Terra to break up with you?"

"She wouldn't do that, she doesn't hate me that much... does she?" he said back to his own voice.

"Why not? You call her names and stuff, maybe she wants to get back at you."

"Raven isn't that mean..."

"Remember when she humiliated you in front of the others so badly that the others were making fun of you for a month after it? She knows how to get ya."

"I hated her for that... I'm going to make sure she knows that if she messes with me anymore, there will be hell to pay. I'll talk-."

"No, dude. You have talked to her enough, does she change, or even listen?"

"No... but, I won't hurt her."

"She has hurt you enough, dude."

"I don't know... If the others heard about it-"

"They won't know, and neither will she. Surprise her, leave her not knowing what just happened, you can change into something that could do that."

"Hey, yeah - I'll show her!"

There was a knock on his door. "Beast Boy? Um...Who are you talking to?" Terra asked from the other side. Beast Boy awoke, standing in the middle of his room, Terra still knocking on his door. "Nobody," he said, "what do you want?"

"I want to talk to you."

"Well, I don't want to talk to you."

"It's important...please open the door."

"I can hear you fine, just say what you what you came to say."

"Okay... I think we should take a break from dating for a while; we have been having a lot of fights lately and... maybe if we were apart for awhile we could try and work out our own problems."

"Who put you up to this?"

"It doesn't matter who or what, I just feel like we need some time to ourselves."

It sounded like something Raven would say, and Beast Boy jumped right on the thread.

"So, what will you do instead?"

"I might hang out more with the others, I need to learn more about the attack patterns from Robin, Cyborg and Starfire need my help with some summer planning for us, Raven and I should be talking more-."

"I knew it."

"Knew what?"

"Don't try and hide it from me."

"...I'm going to bed now, you should do the same. We'll talk again...I don't know, maybe a month from now, and see if we are any better together after the time apart."

Beast Boy heard Terra walk away from the door, and immediately he began thinking of how he would get Raven back for what he was sure she told Terra to do. He would do it right away, before Raven could get to her room, he would get her. No matter what, he would make her pay for hurting him like this.

(Two uploaded at once because this chapter was short, meant as such. Ch 6 will be up in a week. ~RavensMind~)


	6. Count The Stitches

**Chapter 6: Count the Stitches**

Walking down the hall, Raven let her mind wander. What would the last healing ritual do? How was it going to work? Could it hurt her, or Robin, through their link? No answers. Did she care for him more than she thought? Was it a good idea to keep entertaining the notion of dating? Could it work out for her? Could anything? Again, no answers. She wondered if the sharpened questions were a product of her altered mind, or if things were just getting more complicated.

Just then, the lights in the hallway went out, and she sensed something above her. Before she could identify it, it fell on her and began attacking. Calling out for the others, hoping they would hear, Raven blasted it with her powers, sending it reeling, it flew at her again and knocked her down. Wrestling with it, she pulled at it and grabbed a small metal link from around its form, grasping at others, but unable to get them. Again, she blasted the thing off of her and scrambled to her feet. Regaining her footing, she looked around; no longer sensing what attacked her. Then the lights came back on. She reached to her side, feeling an open wound, holding it so the blood would cease trickling down her leg and flowing into a puddle on the floor. In her other hand, she felt the metal link she had snatched and put it into a pocket on her torn cloak.

Robin appeared from around the corner, briefly stunned by what he saw, he rushed to her side. "Are you alright? What happened?" Robin asked.

"Aside from the wound and the bruises, I'm okay... I was just walking down the hall, the lights went out, and I was attacked by...something, I don't know what it was, but I did get a piece of some sort of chain from around its body," Raven said, "where are the others?"

"Cyborg is checking the power, Starfire is with Terra in the living room checking for a break-in, and I think Beast Boy is sleeping, I didn't get an answer when I called him... But I'm glad you're okay."

"Sleeping? Ass... Agh, this hurts! Would you help me to the infirmary so I can put something on this wound?"

"Of course."

They went to the infirmary together, Robin watching for any sign of movement. As they walked, Raven realized she was limping, cursing herself for not being quicker to repel the attack. Walking in to the infirmary, Raven sat down on the operating table, while Robin got the stitches. She took off her cloak and ripped her leotard more so that the wound was the only thing exposed, conscious of who was going to be helping her. While she doubted he would pressure her then, she wasn't going to take a chance on giving him any more ideas. Walking over with the stitches, needle, and alcohol, Robin looked closer at Raven's wound, judging how many stitches he would need.

"I'm going to be laid out for a while, aren't I?" Raven asked.

"I don't think it's... that bad..." Robin said.

"You're lying."

"Just don't worry about it, if you are laid out for a while, we can handle things."

"Maybe you're right..."

"We need to find out what did this to you. Do you remember anything about what it looked like, felt, or acted?"

"It felt like a creature, just none I can really describe... almost savage, but... it seemed like it had a purpose, or it would have kept attacking me, I doubt I seriously hurt it."

"I'm sure it is crawling through some of its own blood somewhere, you fought well."

"No, I didn't, I should have-."

"You're alive, and it is gone, you fought well."

"Sure..." she said, unconvinced.

"Stop doing that to yourself... Hang on, this is going to sting," he said.

Robin poured some of the alcohol on her wound; Raven cringed from it, gripping his shoulder. Getting the stitches threaded through the needle, he moved to start closing the wound, and stopped as the tip of the needle touched her side.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Yeah. Um...Do you mind if I hold onto your shoulder?" she asked.

"Not at all, go ahead."

When he touched the wound with the needle and applied one stitch; she cringed a little, barely gripping his shoulder. Repeating with another stitch, Robin felt her grip tighten more. The gash was pretty bad, but he didn't want her to worry if she could help it. As he continued with another stitch, he started thinking about what could have done it. The wound was shaped as though one claw had torn in, and a few scrapes parallel to the gash supported that observation. His eyes shifted to the rest of her form for a moment or two, and he briefly thought of saying something, but kept stitching up the wound.

"How many more?" Raven asked.

"At least six," Robin replied.

"That sounds serious to me..."

"It's not."

"I had to give eight stitches to Terra when we were in that battle with some remnants of the Hive forces and she had to stay at the tower for the next month..."

"That was Terra, and a different wound. And...you're different."

"What do you mean?"

"You can heal yourself."

"Not while my mind isn't whole..."

"...You didn't tell me that..."

"I didn't think it would be an issue, these kinds of wounds are rare."

Watching Robin stitch up the rest of her wound, Raven was impressed that he wasn't thinking past her wound to the rest of her body. He was behaving professionally, which actually made her wonder just how interested he was in her. Was it the situation, or was she not appealing enough for him? As Robin finished and she cringed at the last stitch, Raven slapped the thoughts back into her head, she should be thinking about what attacked her, not him. Of course, she had no idea what did or could have, all she had was a metal link, so there wasn't much she could think of in that regard. Might as well keep thinking about a relationship... Right?

"There," he said, finishing the last stitch, and placed a bandage over it. "Done, make sure you take the bandage off in a couple of days. You handled that well."

"So did you..."

"Huh?"

"After what we've been talking about lately, I thought you might act differently..."

"Oh. Well, we haven't exactly acted on anything, until we decide to; I'll try to act normally. But, it was hard for me to hold the thoughts I did have back. I guess you can't hold some of yours back either..." he said, grinning slightly.

"Some I can't help... We shouldn't be discussing this now... we should take this metal link I got from what attacked me down to the evidence area."

"Right, but I'll take it down after I help you to your room."

"Why can't I-"

"You were attacked, you weren't exactly fine before you were attacked, and you needed stitches; you are going to go and rest."

"But-"

"This isn't up for a debate. Come on."

Reluctantly, Raven stood up and followed Robin out of the infirmary. After a few feet, pain reminded her of her limp and she called on her powers to levitate a couple of inches off of the ground. Robin walked with her to her room and led her inside. She ceased levitating and turned around to face Robin.

"Thank you...again. I've been saying that a lot, lately, it seems," Raven said.

"You don't have to. Now, I'm going to take the link down to the evidence room, see what the others found, and I'll talk to you about it tomorrow. Are you feeling alright right now?" Robin asked.

"Well enough to sleep... Um, come and find me in the morning... you can let yourself into my room…"

"I will, is there-" he started. He stopped speaking out of surprise when she embraced him. He returned the embrace gladly, as he had been thinking of what she would be okay with him doing because he wanted to show some kind of affection. Raven wasn't wearing her cloak and Robin could see past his arms, down her back, and saw that her leotard had been ripped more and there were other scrapes. Looking at that, he couldn't help letting his eyes move lower, she had a nice-. No. Not now. Raven stopped embracing him and stepped back, studying his face.

"I'm sorry - I didn't mean...I mean I wasn't-." she started.

"It's alright, I understand. I wanted to...too," he said.

"When we decide to spend more time together and explore this...we cannot tell the others...at all."

"Why?"

"Please, you think they would be as mature about handling it as we are?"

"Right, that is a good point... Uh, you said 'when'..."

"Did I? I didn't mean to... I'm just overwhelmed right now..."

"I'm actually glad you said that, I'm feeling more attracted to you. I can't picture being anywhere else right now..."

After Robin had said that, Raven had to fight herself from touching him again. Her mind was still overloaded from pain, increased power, wonder about what attacked her, and the feelings she was having. She felt a little embarrassed, her cloak wasn't covering her, and the side of her stomach was exposed; he was completely covered, and it didn't seem... fair...If she took off his cape to-. Shut. Up...she said to herself. The others wouldn't give them enough time alone to explore anything...Then, she had an idea.

"Hey, you and I both know that the others won't handle this well, I need to teach you to meditate with me, and you are concerned about that creature attacking me again... What if you told them you needed to be with me while I recover to ward off any possible future attack? We could spend more time together without them knowing anything else was going on." she said.

"They're our friends; I don't want to lie to them..."

"You aren't lying if all of what I said is true for you. Do I need to re-enact how they behaved when you started seeing Starfire more?"

"No, please don't... Okay, you made your point, I'll tell them that and we'll spend more time together."

"It's for the best for all of us. So... come back here after you've taken the metal link to evidence and checked on the others..."

"You can count on it."

Robin smiled at Raven and left her room, closing the door behind him when he left. Going to the living room, he was met by Terra and Cyborg.

"Status?" Robin asked them.

"I checked the power, it was working fine. Must've been a power surge..." Cyborg said, "what were you doing?"

"I was helping Raven, she was attacked, she needed stitches, and she's resting now," Robin replied.

"Attacked by what?" Terra asked.

"We don't know, it happened when the power was out, so she couldn't see it. She described it as a creature, and it looked like claws caused the wounds," Robin said.

"So she's okay?" Terra asked.

"She will be laid out for a while until she is fully healed, but other than that, she'll be okay. I'll be around her until she is better, so she can't be ambushed like that again while she is recovering," Robin said, "Where are Starfire and Beast Boy?"

"Starfire went to go and wake him up, or check on him, I don't know what he could have been doing," Cyborg said.

"Okay, you need to talk to him when he gets out here," Robin said.

"Why aren't you?" Terra asked.

"I need to get back to Raven," Robin replied, "anything show up as far as a security breach?"

"No, the alarm would have sounded, I checked that too, it says the tower is clean, nothing is here but the six of us," Cyborg said.

"That is just weird...and kind of creepy," Terra said.

"Damn right," Cyborg said.

"Can you take this to the evidence room and get it analyzed?" Robin asked, handing Cyborg the metal link.

"This looks familiar..." Cyborg said taking it.

"What?" Robin asked.

"I know I've seen this somewhere before. Shit, I'll just run it through our system, it might take a few days to work through everything it could be from," Cyborg said.

"Right. I'm going to go back and stay with Raven," Robin said.

"You're going to watch her while she sleeps? That seems...weird," Terra said.

"I don't exactly have a choice, we don't know if that thing will come back or not, and if I don't stay and it does come back, I'll be responsible," Robin said.

"No you won't," Terra said, "but I can see what you're saying."

"Good night, Titans," Robin said, turning to leave.

"Night," Cyborg said.

"Good night," Terra said.

Leaving the room, Robin walked back down the hall to Raven's room. He knocked and listened. "Robin?" Raven asked.

"Yeah," he said.

"Come in."

Opening the door, he crossed her room and sat at the edge of her bed. Raven was already lying down under the covers, she had her head propped up on two pillows, and she was looking at him...differently, was the only word he found to label it. Something in her eyes made him want to lie beside her, yet he knew she wouldn't let him, or want him to at that point. Finally, he decided to speak.

"The others didn't find a security breach or a problem with the power..." he said.

"You're joking..."

"I could hardly believe it myself."

"So, it could still be here..."

"I doubt it; it would be attacking if it was."

"Would it?"

"Just don't worry about it, if it comes back to hurt you, it will have to deal with both of us."

"That's...comforting?"

"It should be."

"Right..." she said.

Robin sighed. He had to get her mind off of the whole thing somehow, and he didn't exactly have anything to add to the matter then, he needed Cyborg's analysis to be finished so things would move forward. Bringing up something equally frustrating to her might get her mind off of it...

"What's on your mind, exactly?" Robin asked.

"Hmm?" Raven asked.

"You've been looking at me ...differently for the past few minutes. Almost like you want something."

"Oh...I want to talk to you... but I'm afraid that conversation will have to happen tomorrow, it is too late to have it now."

"What is it about?"

"Guess..."

"...I don't think I need to. I'd be happy to talk about it tomorrow," he said, smiling at her.

"Good." she said, returning a small smile, "It's late and I don't think I can stay awake much longer..."

"Alright. Where can I sleep?" he asked.

Raven tossed him a pillow and said, "at the foot of my bed, sideways, I won't make you sleep on the floor..."

"You're okay with that?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have agreed to, or suggested, that you stay in my room until I was better."

"Thanks."

"Now, I'm going to go to sleep. Good night, Robin." she said.

"Good night, Raven." he said.

Raven fell asleep within the next few minutes. It didn't surprise him in the slightest, she had been through a lot that day, she didn't even bother changing out of the torn leotard. Laying down carefully across her bed and putting his head on the pillow, he realized he would have to get some things from his room the next day. He couldn't keep sleeping in his uniform. There was the morning to think of, too: showers, changing clothes, and the other rituals. It was a chance for him to see her differently, and maybe undres-. Stop. It was already starting; he couldn't control those thoughts forever, could he? She trusted him, he wouldn't betray it, but he would talk about what he might want from her in time. There was no doubt in his mind that she had been having similar thoughts. Maybe she would bring it up... He was looking forward to their conversation the next day, but was worrying about the meditation she had planned for them. Tomorrow would be...well, different. Robin fell asleep, thinking: what exactly hadn't been different this past week, anyway?

(Chapter 7 will be up in two weeks this time, have a bit on my plate and I'd like to get a little more ahead of the chapter updates. Hope you've enjoyed the story so far. ~RavensMind~)


	7. Awaken

(Thanks for the reviews everyone, they have helped drive this story further to its completion. I hate endings, but every story has one. I haven't written it yet and any opinions you have on the story could help morph what the end will look like. Don't get me wrong, I have my own ideas, but you never know what could sound better. I'm still editing the next 5 chapters, but they will be coming, so the ending is still far off. Sorry this chapter is short, the next will be longer. As always, I hope you enjoy the story as it moves along! ~RavensMind~)

**Chapter 7: Awaken...**

Groaning, and feeling searing pain across his body, Beast Boy rose from the floor. It seemed like he had blacked out. Yet, the images of what he had done in the past few hours were clear as day. He had gone through with it... But he didn't feel...like he did it... He had attacked Raven. One of his friends... He felt terrible about it, he didn't think he would do it... but apparently he had. And the act had its consequences.

Looking down, Beast Boy saw that his uniform was almost torn to shreds, and he was bleeding from five open wounds across his chest. Raven was stronger than him with her powers, he knew that from various sparring matches with her, but he didn't think she could cause that much damage that quickly. Groaning again, he put his hand to his temple.

His head felt like it could split open in the next few seconds. Across his waist, he felt a different style of belt, one he had only worn three times. It was missing a metal link. Probably from the fight... Checking the time, he saw it was nearly 3:00 a.m. He had to get to the infirmary, patch himself up, and get back to his room without the others seeing him. Horsefly, he thought, I'll just change into a bug and they won't think anything of it... Changing into the insect, he flew through the vent shaft from his room and navigated out into the hallway. Flying quickly, he made it to the infirmary without seeing any of his teammates.

Beast Boy flew into the infirmary through the vents and saw that the stitches already out, and several drops of blood were on the floor leading to the table. Apparently he had done _some_ harm to Raven. Changing back, he sat down and grabbed the needle, stitches, and some bandages. He stitched as fast as he could, trying to get out of there before someone could find him.

"You got her, why did you do it?" Beast Boy's voice echoed in his head.

"I didn't do it." he said back to it in his mind.

"No? I guess someone just decided to drop some blood and leave stitches here, and you just slept funny...Come on, dude...You. Did. It."

"I did it. But it wasn't me..."

"That makes sense..."

"Shut up."

"Fine..."

"I-I.. felt what I was doing...But I couldn't control any of it."

"Why would you do it?"

"You talked me into it, and I didn't do it...not exactly...I don't know."

"But I'm not a real person, I'm you. You talked to yourself. You're doing it now, too."

"I did, didn't I? I am doing it... What's wrong with me?"

"Beats me, dude."

Finishing up with the stitches, Beast Boy put some bandages across his wounds and got up. He changed back into the horsefly and flew back to his room through the vents. When he got to his room, he took off the belt and tossed it on the dresser and threw his torn clothes into the back of his closet. Pulling a new uniform out with his usual belt, he put it on and crossed the room to his bed.

Laying down, he tried to sleep, but too much was going through his head, and his body ached. He was going to hide everything from the others, never tell, and act as normal as possible for as long as he could. Somehow he knew that they would figure it out, predicting what their reaction would be when they did was difficult.

For what seemed like hours, Beast Boy heard the voice he identified as his conscience quarrel with himself. Thoughts no longer flowed through his mind; instead they seemed to form two lines opposite each other, ready to fight. If he gave the current situation any more thought, he figured his mind was descending into war.

Nothing like this had happened to him before, he feared where it would lead, but not as much as he feared how the others would react if they ever learned what he had done.

(Chapter 8 will be up next week! ~RavensMind~)


	8. A Date is Unique

(Thank you for the suggestion for the ending, 13DeadSilence13, I appreciate the input. I'm not sure if it will fit with how the next five chapters have been flowing, but we'll see. Once again, I really do appreciate every word all of you type for a review, few really take the time to show an author how much they care about a story. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. ~RavensMind~)

**Chapter 8: A Date Is? ..Hang on...Unique**

Waking up, Raven looked at her clock, noting that it was 7:40 a.m. Glancing to the foot of her bed, she saw that Robin was awake and sitting up, facing the door. Was he up all night? Or did he just decide not to wake her? Watching him, she debated stirring, he seemed peaceful and on one hand: she didn't want to disturb him, on the other: she felt like moving to join him. It was already mid-morning... She had to get up. Choosing to join him, she pushed the covers off and crawled to his side. Hearing her stir, Robin turned his head and smiled at her as she moved into place beside him.

"Hey. Did you sleep well?" Robin asked.

"Yes. You don't look like you did," Raven said.

"I slept for a few hours, a lot of things on my mind, you know?"

"I do... Before we get into any discussions, we both need to shower and change into clean clothes."

"Right. My clothes are in my room, so I'll grab some for the week and a few other things while you shower. I'm really glad that we decided to add a bathroom for each of our bedrooms."

"You and I already had our own."

"I know, but we had to flip for who had to referee for the others when they all got up at once, remember?"

"Yes, I miss the headaches I got from all the yelling, they were transcendent..." she said dryly.

"Definitely," he said, chuckling.

"Go and get what you need, I'm going to go take a shower."

"Alright. I'll be back in a few minutes..."

"Stop it."

"What?"

"Thinking about me in the- ."

"You heard that that fast? Um...sorry, but give me some credit, I didn't have one thought like that all through the night."

"Okay...just...at least try and hide them better, it isn't that difficult. I don't want to know what fantasies you have about me yet."

"So, what do your fantasies about me look like?"

"Right, because I'm dying to tell you."

"You know one of mine; I should know one of yours."

"...Later, we need to get ready, now go."

Robin left Raven's room after she went into her bathroom, she was still limping. Seeing that made him revisit last night's attack. He couldn't believe that there was no security breach found, it unsettled him. And Beast Boy had apparently slept through all of it, the others didn't try too hard to get him up either, that just made him angry. Did they expect he and Raven to watch all of them, get all of them on track, and keep them there? Terra and Cyborg and been getting better at handling most of their tasks, but Starfire was the one they had sent to get Beast Boy. Why didn't Terra do it? Why didn't Starfire try harder? Ugh... Spending more time with Raven meant that both he and Raven had to be sure that the others could get along and stay organized, ready to go at a moment's notice. Thinking about that, he wondered if he should be getting involved with Raven, they both had responsibilities and being detached from the team to be with each other wasn't good for the team. And she didn't exactly have an amazing personality... But, she made him feel better, she listened, and maybe that was enough. He felt bad about those thoughts as soon as they passed his mind. They had barely spent any time together, it was stupid to judge it all at that moment.

Entering his room, Robin grabbed his clothes, some things from his bathroom, and debated bringing a sleeping bag he had in his closet. He didn't want her to think he brought it to avoid being closer to her... Finally he just decided to take it. Walking down the hall, he ran into Terra.

"Hey, Robin. Where are you going with your clothes...sleeping bag and...is that your toothbrush?" Terra asked.

"Hi, Terra. Since I'm going to be keeping a close eye on Raven, I need something to sleep on, and a few changes of clothes and stuff for the morning," Robin said.

"Sure... You're really serious about this 'bodyguard' thing, huh?"

"Why wouldn't I be? If we can't even detect the threat...It's just a different situation altogether."

"Ohhh. Well, we had something like that happen a few years ago to Cyborg and you didn't guard him."

"She's different, this is different, Cyborg didn't need stitches or anything."

"Yeah...What do you mean she's different?"

"Why are you so interested in why I'm guarding her?"

"It's just a little surprising, you haven't done that before for anyone, and she would shoot someone before letting them set one foot in her room for longer than twenty seconds even if she needed help."

"Like I said, this is different."

"It's not _that_ different."

"...What do you want?"

"Okay, I'll back off... I want to know what Raven thinks about all of this and I need to talk to her about something."

"She's fine with the plan. And whatever it is you need to talk to her about, you can tell me, I could help."

"Beast Boy and I are taking a break from dating for a while."

"Since when?"

"Since yesterday."

"That must be why he didn't respond last night to Starfire when we needed help."

"Maybe...I'm sorry; I didn't know how he would take it."

"Right... Please talk to him."

"I would, but I don't know what to say, I was going to talk to Raven and see if she could help me figure out what to say."

"Go talk to Cyborg, he knows Beast Boy better."

"Yeah, that makes sense... I'm still going to go and talk to Raven, I want to see how bad she's hurt."

"I told you, she needed stitches, she lost some blood, and she's limping."

"You didn't say she was limping... Is she-?"

"She's fine."

"Why don't you want me to talk to her?"

"You can, she just needs to rest, and I don't think flooding her mind with questions is a good idea right now."

"Okay. Then I won't stay long," Terra said.

Following Robin down to Raven's room, Terra wondered why Robin was acting so on edge. Maybe he didn't get any sleep; he could have been up worrying about another attack. This could turn into a long week... If both Robin and Raven were going to be out of earshot of her and the others, she would have to step up and keep the others under control. She wasn't looking forward to it. Especially having to talk to Beast Boy, it would be frustrating. Cyborg could help her, though, that thought reassured her.

When they reached Raven's room, Robin gestured for Terra to knock, as his hands were full. She did so, and immediately heard Raven's response: "You don't have to knock, Robin." Terra eyed Robin with curiosity, as Raven usually demanded that everyone knock. Robin ignored the look and motioned for her to open the door. Walking in with Robin, Terra looked at Raven, who was in a clean uniform, sitting on the bed patiently. She looked surprised to see Terra enter with Robin. Setting his sleeping bag down, Robin took his clothes and other things to Raven's bathroom.

"I won't take long," Robin said to Raven.

"Alright," Raven said.

As Robin shut the door, and turned on the shower, Terra came over to Raven and sat next to her.

"Hey... how are you feeling?" Terra asked.

"Fantastic..." Raven replied dryly.

"That bad? Where did you need stitches?"

"On the side of my stomach. Apparently I wrenched my leg, too, I'm limping quite a bit."

"Really? Sorry..."

"It isn't your fault."

"No, but we should have been there."

"One of you was all I needed, I guess."

"Yeah... Robin told me about last night. How do you feel about him staying as a...bodyguard until you're better?"

"I don't need him to, but he would be worrying about me a lot more if I didn't let him do something... And I don't need the subtle guarding he'd be doing; I'd rather see and know about it."

"I'm surprised you're letting him stay in your room."

"Why? It's not like he's Beast Boy or Starfire. They would tear my room apart just from curiosity. He won't."

"I suppose you're right. By the way, I need to talk to you about Beast Boy at some point."

"Why? Wait... I'm guessing he didn't know that the blender has an 'off' setting and just reached in and-"

"No, nothing like that!"

"Damn. I guess I haven't exactly been fortunate the past few days, why should that change now?"

"I told him I needed a break from him for a while..."

"Oh. Well, I can't exactly go to the mall with you or even down the stairs right now-."

"I know. I'm not asking you to, I just need to talk to someone..."

"And I want to, but I don't think I should, I'm not exactly going to defend him... unless pig shit turned purple, grew wings, and flew today; in which case I would take his side..."

"That makes me feel a little better already," Terra said, laughing,

"Good... Can we talk later? I'm not really up for it," Raven said.

"Yeah, I'm sure you need to rest."

"Thank you."

"Does it seem to you like Robin is acting differently?"

"Yes."

"Why do you think so?"

"Something managed to sneak past his security and attack someone close to him, I'd be acting differently too...Actually, I did agree to let him stay in here for a while, so I guess I am acting differently."

"Yeah, well, I'm going to go and watch the others, Cyborg and I will check in with you two at lunch and again at dinner."

"Thanks, Terra," Raven said.

"No problem, I'll see ya, feel better," Terra said.

With that, Terra smiled and left Raven's room. Glancing to her bathroom door, Raven wondered when Robin would be done so they could get on with the day. It shouldn't take too much longer, she thought. She heard the water still running, so it was a safe assumption to make. What would he do after? There was something he would have to add to his hair, she figured, it can't naturally be spiked like that. Maybe something he added in the shower-. Stop. Raven felt the direction her mind was headed and didn't want to indulge the fantasy. It's less of a fantasy, now, she thought. In the depths of her mind, Raven barely felt the primal pulse of where her mind wanted to go. An image of them together in the shower swelled in her mind's eye for less than a second or two, before she forcefully rammed it back out of view. Just then, she heard Robin turn off the shower, and the thought appeared again. Once more, she forced it from her mind. They would be having their conversation soon, what exactly would she say? What would he say? Should they even be thinking about this? The door to the bathroom opened and Robin stepped out, his chest was showing at the waist as he was pulling his shirt on. Raven watched longer than she knew she should have. As he clasped his cape around his neck and straightened his belt, he walked over to her, smiling. Robin sat down next to her, closer than she thought he would sit.

"Did Terra stress you out?" Robin asked.

"A little. It's nothing I can't deal with, though," Raven replied.

"Good. So… should- or…do you want to talk?" he asked, nervously.

"Yeah, I think we should."

"Alright… Do you want to start or…?"

"Not really, but I will if you don't want to."

"Okay. I care about you, you know that, and lately, I've been feeling like there is more to it than that. It's almost as if it had always been there, just…hidden. The more time we spend together, it gets a little clearer… I've been trying to push it away, because I don't know how it would affect you, or the others, or what else. But I keep thinking about it, I want to know what is still hidden… How do you feel about it?"

"I…I care about you, too. And I would have said yes when you asked me earlier, if I wasn't having trouble with my mind. I still am. Yet, I cannot seem to avoid what I have been feeling for you. As you pointed out, there are more than enough reasons for why we shouldn't even talk about it. I don't know what will happen if we keep going… I feel like I need to explore this, regardless…. The others don't need to know for a while, either… Let's see where this leads."

"Right. I'm glad we got that out of the way… So…what happens now?"

"Well… Normally, people go on dates… Is that what you were thinking?"

"Not really, that just doesn't sound...exactly possible right now," he said, indicating her wounds, "Or fun."

"We need to meditate together today, in here, would that count?" she asked.

"No. but, I think it could lead to something that would…" he said, grinning slightly.

"Hmm. We'll see about that…" she said, a mischievous look in her eyes.

"I wasn't serious."

"I know; I wasn't either. But we don't know how far this may lead us. That may happen, just not soon, I think."

"I would never force you."

"And I wouldn't force you."

"So, what do-," Robin started to say.

There was a knock at the door and Robin jumped from Raven's side in surprise.

"Who is it?" Raven asked, forcing her monotone voice.

"Rae, it's Cyborg, can I come in?" Cyborg asked.

"Sure," she said.

Entering, Cyborg only took a few steps inside, aware of Raven's usual rules.

"How are you doing?" Cyborg asked.

"I'm alright. Recovering slowly… Maybe I should just post a note on how I'm feeling on the wall outside…" Raven said.

"It might help," Robin said.

"Glad you're on the mend. Anyway, I just wanted to see you and tell you that Terra and I will bring lunch for both of you, unless Robin isn't actually welded to your side…" Cyborg said.

"It's in our best interests if I stay around her," Robin said.

"Yeah, I know. Get better Rae, I'll be back later with lunch," Cyborg said.

"Alright, thanks, Cyborg," she said.

"Anytime," Cyborg said, leaving, waving to Robin.

As soon as the door shut, Raven turned to Robin.

"Of course, if interruptions like that keep happening, who knows when we'll be feeling close enough to make any intimate decisions…" Raven said, returning to their conversation.

"No kidding…. So, what do we do now?" Robin asked.

"Meditate," Raven replied.

"That doesn't exactly sound like fun," he said.

"It's not. But we need to do it, it will help me. Maybe in the process, you'll get a better understanding of the problem with my mind, too."

"Okay, so where do we start?"

"Come here and sit next to me."

Robin walked over and sat down beside Raven.

"Face me."

"I saw you do this with Starfire once, you didn't have her face you…"

"That wasn't the same, and Starfire was only trying, she didn't actually achieve anything."

"Why should it work for me?"

"Our bond will let you do it."

"Okay," he said, facing her.

"Now, hold out your hands…" she said.

Robin did so and Raven gently took them in hers.

"Close your eyes…focus on my voice, and take a deep breath, this is going to hurt a little…" she said.

Closing his eyes, he breathed in; he felt his head grow heavy, and a sharp pain behind his forehead. Breathing out, he felt it subside a little. Then, although his eyes were closed, he realized he could see Raven, but nothing else around him.

"How am I seeing you, now?" he asked.

"You just opened your mind's eye using some of my power."

"I have your power?"

"It's limited to your mind, you won't be able to levitate or anything like that."

"Now what?"

"Try to let go of one of my hands in your mind, don't do it physically."

"How?"

"Just focus and picture yourself doing it."

"…I don't think it-," he started. To his surprise, in his mind's eye, he had let go of her hand, and felt light-headed and nauseous. In reality, he was still holding both of her hands.

"There. That wasn't so hard, was it? How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Really weak, like I'm going to pass out in a few minutes or something…"

"Alright. Now, let go of my other hand in your mind."

"I don't know if I should…"

"You have to, or this won't work…Trust me…"

Pushing himself, he let go of her other hand in his mind. Immediately, he felt better. Something seemed off about Raven in his mind's eye, he could see her getting weaker somehow.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"…No…" she responded.

"What's wrong?"

"I just siphoned some of my power to your mind, so you can meditate, and later I'll help you learn how to guard your mind from mine. I also let you experience how I had been feeling the past month. Now…I'm just exhausted, I need to let myself recover…" she explained," you can open your eyes now."

As Robin opened his eyes, he saw Raven pull away from his hands and turn to sit at the edge of the bed; she was breathing deeply and avoiding his gaze. He wasn't exactly sure why, if she was exhausted, she didn't need to move away from him like that. Moving to sit beside her, she inched away from him.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"I just can't…be close to you right now; I have to let my mind recover…" she said.

"Why can't you be close to me for that?"

"When my powers are recovering, my emotions aren't as controlled…I'll act differently…"

"But do you want to act that way, or-?"

"Part of me does…I can't explain right now…Just, give me a few minutes, please, Robin?"

The conversation was all that Raven wanted to focus on, if there had to be one. Not who was speaking, not how they felt, not where they were, and not what they were wearing. Her emotions were free. At that moment, as Robin was talking to her, her lust-drenched thoughts swelled as her emotion rose with them. Part of her was pulling her to just take him, while all of her reason fought back.

"If you think I'm going to leave you alone while you're hurt, or exhausted, whatever, you're crazy," he said.

"At least stand away from me…" she said, still breathing heavily.

"No," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

When he did, his mind's eye showed him Raven's current thought by accident. In her thought, he saw the both of them lying together under her covers, undressed. His mind's eye closed suddenly as Raven bolted from his side to stand by her bookshelf.

"Whoa…um. I…didn't think you were _that_ interested in me already…" Robin said, embarrassed, flattered, and trying to talk to her.

"Just…shut up…" Raven said.

"No... we should talk…"

"Forget what you saw… and shut up!"

"Why are you pushing this away?"

"I said forget it!" she yelled.

Robin fell silent, trying to figure out exactly what was happening. It was obvious that Raven wasn't herself. Now, he knew that she was interested in going a lot further than she had let on. He also knew that he wasn't the only one having these thoughts already. Yet, something was making her resist.

"I can't," he said.

"Then shut. Up," she said.

"We can't even talk about-?"

"Shut. Up!"

"I'm not going to! You are trying to stop this for some reason, why-."

"You really don't know?"

"I don't."

"I won't let you chain yourself to something as screwed up, weird, and broken as me!" she said.

Falling silent again, Robin felt that Raven's words had pushed him to a sympathy he didn't think he'd share with anyone. He knew his short-comings, his tragic past, and his disconnection from others… he had thought he was more screwed up than she was. Maybe they weren't that different. The fact that she was willing to sacrifice her own desire for his benefit was very moving…

"Raven, I-," he started. Then there was a knock at the door.

Robin stopped and went over and opened the door. Terra smiled at him and handed him a tray of food and some drinks. She stopped smiling when she saw his face.

"Is there something wrong?" Terra asked.

"No… Are the others under control?" Robin asked.

"For now, they are. Eat up, and put the tray outside the door when you've finished your lunch…" Terra said, scanning Robin's face, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Thanks, Terra," he said.

"Anything you need?" she asked, looking past him to Raven, who was facing away from both of them on the other side of the room.

"No."

"Okay…"

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing, I guess. I'll be back later," she said.

"Okay," he said.

As Terra turned and left, Robin closed the door, and carried the tray over to the bed. Raven hadn't moved an inch. Putting the tray down, he stood, looking at Raven, getting back to what he wanted to say before Terra had interrupted.

"Raven?" he asked.

"I'm still not ready to talk yet…" she said through deep breaths.

"You're not any worse than I am… I doubt I wouldn't match any of those words. There is a lot about me I haven't shared with anyone," he said.

"Don't I know it? You expect a mile of information from me, while I get less than an inch from you… We're not getting past a hug unless you start meeting me half-way…"

"I'm sorry about that…but I've kept secrets for a long time, and it's hard to change."

"Then come back to me when you're ready to talk."

"Right…I didn't know how much you cared until this."

"I'm still learning myself…Maybe I'm just too un-balanced right now to know what I want or how I feel."

"Don't do that…"

"What?"

"Don't push away from this because of that."

"And you'll, what? Stop me if I do?"

"After what you showed me? Definitely."

"Stop. Ugh…Can we just eat and talk later?" she asked.

"...Alright," he replied.

Moving to the bed, Raven picked up her plate and started eating her lunch. She had stopped breathing heavily, which Robin thought was a good sign. Picking up his own plate and eating, his mind wandered. He had to do something; he didn't want her to stop before they had really explored anything. That meant he would have to share some of his past and he wasn't prepared for that. This wasn't something he thought he would have to discuss until much later, but Raven had a point. He knew more about her than she knew about him. What would he be most comfortable sharing? Revealing too much was a risk, and not just for him…

(The next chapter will be up in a week ~RavensMind~)


	9. Short of A Shrouded Mile

(Here is chapter 9, keep the feedback rolling please, I literally can't get enough of it, and...enjoy, thanks for reading. ~RavensMind~)

**Chapter 9: Short of a Shrouded Mile**

Rising to the sound of a commotion in the hallway, Raven looked around for Robin, who wasn't in his sleeping bag anymore. The rest of the previous day had been slow, she spent a good portion of it either sleeping, eating, or pretending to sleep. Robin hadn't said much to her the rest of that day, she had built a wall of irritation to distance herself from him, and most of it wasn't even false. The noise outside her door was just adding to it. Getting up slowly, and putting her cloak on, Raven walked over to the door and opened it. Outside her room, Robin was yelling at Beast Boy, and Beast Boy was yelling right back. Rolling her eyes, she lifted her arms slowly, using her power to pick both of them off the ground. When both of them felt their feet leave the ground, they stopped yelling and looked at Raven, who then dropped them back on their feet.

"Yeah, a rooster is too old-fashioned for me, this is so much better…" Raven said, sarcastically.

"Sorry, Raven," Robin said.

"I'm not," Beast Boy said.

"You won't be sorry enough in a minute, you-," Robin started.

"Stop. What are you fighting about?" Raven asked.

"I started out by telling him that we needed him a couple of nights ago and he slept through an attack. Then, he said he didn't care, and I threatened to punish him more than what the others were already ordering him to do to make up for it. It got out of hand from there," Robin said.

"I see…" Raven said.

"Go ahead; I know you're going to take his side… Why don't you just go back to your web?" Beast Boy said.

"Don't talk to her like that," Robin said angrily.

"What are you going to do if I do it again, huh?" Beast Boy asked.

"I'll hang you from the tower for a day again, you can't beat me in a fight," Robin said.

"Wanna bet?" Beast Boy asked.

"Enough or _I'll_ hang you in the clouds," Raven said.

"Can it, Raven. What is it like being around Robin 24/7? Probably hurts worse than being punched by Cinderblock. Probably just as dumb as Cinderblock, too," Beast Boy said.

Raven felt herself snap, her feelings for Robin, anger at Beast Boy for not helping yesterday, and exhaustion out-matched her reason and restraint. She picked up Beast Boy with her powers and flung him through the wall and flew after him, picking him up again and sending him flying into the other wall.

"Raven, stop!" Robin said.

"Why? He deserves it, you know he does… Sleeps while I get mauled, he doesn't apologize, doesn't even ask about it, and insults us while we do everything…" Raven said, lifting Beast Boy into the air with her powers, preparing to throw him again.

"We'll deal with him. We'll-," Robin started.

"What? Lecture him? Send him to his room without dessert? Yeah, that won't work," Raven said.

"Just put him down," Robin said.

Raven sent Beast Boy flying against another wall and then slammed him to the ground.

"What did-?" Robin started.

"I put him down, you didn't specify 'how' or 'where,'" Raven said, walking back towards her room.

Rushing over to Beast Boy, Robin helped him up.

"Are you okay?" Robin asked.

"I think so…What is her problem?" Beast Boy asked.

"You. Now, go and tell Terra and Cyborg that we're going to need the wall fixed," Robin said.

"Fine…" Beast Boy said, storming off.

Turning, Robin went back to Raven's room and opened the door. She was sitting on her bed, looking directly at him.

"Why did you do that?" Robin asked.

"I'm not completely sure… He deserved something like that," Raven said.

"He has acted worse plenty of times and you didn't do that to him."

"Maybe I got tired of it."

"Sure….It didn't have anything to do with me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you lash out at him because you're still mad at me for not leaving you alone yesterday?"

"No. I think I hurt him because he was insulting you."

"Really? I thought you were still mad at me."

"I'm a little irritated with you, but not mad…" she said.

"You still shouldn't have done that," he said.

Raven sighed at Robin's comment.

"What?" he asked.

"Have you ever thought about leaving the Titans?" she asked.

"...Yes. Why?"

"I'm just a little tired of dealing with this sort of stuff; we've dealt with more drama amongst ourselves than crime in the city this year."

"So, you're wondering what I'll do if I do leave?"

"Actually, it was more of what we'd do, but 'we' is still a faint possibility right now…"

"We can talk about what we might do if we decide to leave when we're sure we'll be leaving together."

"I'm still waiting…"

"I know you are, I just don't know what to say."

"Start out with something small, if it helps."

"I don't know…" he said.

"Neither do I," she said, looking away from him.

He still watched her, thinking of what would move things forward. All she was asking then was for him to share one thing. Some small piece of his life. It didn't sound like a lot to expect. Finally, he decided what he would do.

"Okay…" Robin said.

"'Okay' what?" Raven asked, looking at him once more.

Robin joined Raven on her bed and faced her, he wasn't smiling, and his expression was as serious as hers. Reaching up, he took off his mask, revealing his light-blue eyes. Raven looked surprised. At first, she didn't say or do anything; she just looked into his eyes. There was something about hers at that moment that was almost intoxicating. Raven then gave him a small smile.

"That is…a handsome start," she said.

"Thanks," he said, smiling back.

"We're not even, but since this is hard for you, I'll let that be enough for now… But you'll have to actually tell me something next time I ask," she said.

"Sounds fair. What do you want to do today?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, I feel like playing chess on the roof, interested?" she asked.

"Sure, but why chess?"

"I can't exactly move much, so my options aren't too varied…"

"Right."

"Maybe you'll actually win a round this time…"

"I won the last time I played chess."

"You were playing against Beast Boy…so, um… it doesn't count," she said.

"You're on…" he said, putting his mask back on.

After going to the roof and playing several games of chess, Robin had won a few times, but Raven still beat him overall. There were a few interruptions from Terra, Cyborg, and Starfire. Beast Boy had been put in charge of fixing the hole in the wall that Raven had made with his body. So, they didn't see much of him.

Later that night, Robin found a slip of paper with directions to Raven's 'guide'. When Raven fell asleep, Robin decided that he would go and talk to this 'guide' for himself. As quietly as he could, he got out of his sleeping bag and left Raven's room with the directions. There was a point where he asked himself if he should go through with what he was doing. If Raven found out, would she see it as a betrayal of her trust? That was possible, but he needed to know if this 'guide' was a threat. Leaving Titans Tower on his R-Cycle, Robin went to the location he got from the piece of paper. When he arrived, he looked around; he had gone far into the woods near the edge of the city. There was a single stone crypt; no tombstones of any kind were surrounding it. Shutting off his bike, he got off and walked to the door of the crypt. He opened the door and walked down the stairs, wary of every sound he made. Reaching the bottom of the steps, he entered the cavern lined with statues. Then, he heard a voice.

"You took longer to seek me out than I thought you would… Is the demon-child doing well? I suspect you would know," a cold, sharp, feminine voice echoed across the room.

"Who are you?" Robin asked as he prepared to defend himself.

"Odd… why do you, and she, ascribe so much value to identity? Or is that a human characteristic?"

"Tell me who you are, or-."

"Do not waste another word; I forgot my name some years ago. All you should know is that I was an ally of the demon-girl's mother, and I am helping the girl rebuild her mind."

"Why?"

"I owe it to her mother…"

"Then why hide?"

"We all have our enemies. Mine just happen to be more persistent than yours."

"Show yourself."

"Again with the identity concern…Very well."

Robin saw the door to the far end of the cavern open and observed a tall, cloaked figure, surrounded by… a shadowed mist? It wasn't something he had seen before.

"Satisfied?" the figure asked.

"No…" Robin said.

"Let us move on from the identity concerns… You did not answer the question I posed to you when you entered."

"Raven has been better…She was attacked a few days ago and needed stitches."

"Attacked? How?"

"Something broke in, it was a creature or something, Raven had said."

"I'm sure you tended to her wounds well enough…"

"How do you know that I-?"

"I did not; it seemed like a logical assumption. If someone else had done it, I'm sure it would be they who I would be speaking to and not you."

"Why is that?"

"Usually, when someone cares for another, they tend to get involved where they normally wouldn't. The little that she said of you was enough for me to be able to guess as I did."

"If you don't have a name, what does she call you?"

"Identity, once more… noted. I told her to call me what she saw me as…"

"And that was?"

"'Shadow'. I assume that will be enough for you, as well?"

"I guess-."

"Very well. Now, what more do you want?"

"I want to know how you're going to fix her mind."

"Answer a question of mine, and perhaps I will tell you…"

"What question?"

"What is your name?"

"I think you know."

"And I need to be certain."

"Robin."

"Ah… I cannot tell you. She cannot know ahead of time, or what needs to be done will not work, and I can't chance you letting the information pass through your link to her."

"How do you know about our bond?"

"She told me about it. Now, go and see to her medical…and possibly other…needs. This will all be over in time, and she will be whole again."

"What do you mean by 'other' needs?"

"Even I do not know... She is to be back here in another week, that is all the more I will say. Now, leave."

"I still don't trust you."

"Hardly surprising… Unfortunately for you, I am her only chance to heal her mind safely, so you will have to come to terms with your suspicions for now. Leave," Shadow said.

And with that, Shadow turned around and disappeared into her darkened room as the door closed behind her. Then, Robin turned and left, analyzing every letter of every word he had heard from 'Shadow.' No chance that Shadow was completely "good news." There was something else to this whole thing, he just knew it. When he exited the tomb, he shut the door behind him, and then jumped on his bike. Robin rode back to the tower, now concerned about what Raven might say if she found out, and if he should tell her about it or not. Getting off his bike, he walked up the stairs, deciding the elevator would be too loud. He quietly walked down to Raven's room and slipped in. Carefully, he got back in his sleeping bag and tried to fall asleep. It wasn't easy, as his mind was processing too many things. Focus on something else, he thought. Focus on…something more pleasant, maybe. Robin decided that it would have to be something really amazing to get his mind to want to focus on it. The image he had gotten from Ravens un-controlled thought of him with her in her bed, both undressed, flowed into focus. He still felt embarrassed about accidentally getting that thought from her, but it was a tender image, and it was enough to calm him so he could sleep.

The next morning, Robin was awakened by Raven, who was kneeling beside him and gently nudging him. He hadn't exactly gotten much sleep because of his trip last night, so he was slow to wake. Opening his eyes slightly, he focused on Raven's figure.

"What is it?" Robin asked.

"I need your help…" Raven replied.

"With what?" he asked.

Raven pointed to her side. There was a blood stain on her leotard, which meant that her wound had opened again. She probably tore a stitch, Robin thought, but the bandage should have lessened that risk. Getting up, he went with her down to the infirmary. Raven's limp was gone, which he was glad to see. She sat on the operating table once more. Looking at her, he could feel her emotions rise through their link. He knew why when he realized that there was no tear in her uniform; she would have to tear a new hole, or take it off.

"I could tear it, you have plenty of other ones… that one is already stained with blood," he said.

"Sure, but I'll tear it," she said.

"Don't trust me to only tear that spot?" he asked.

"Not completely…" she said.

"That hurts," he said, acting sad.

"Umm…deal with it…" she said, tearing a small hole in her uniform.

Looking at her side, he saw that the bandage was soaked in blood. Raven carefully peeled it off herself, and Robin looked at the stitches. Only one had been torn. Getting a new stitch, he applied it carefully. Raven cleaned the blood off and put the new bandage on herself. It had been easier to endure this time around.

"You'll still have to leave the bandage on for another day," Robin said.

"I know. I'll handle it. Maybe we should sort those files today; we don't have much to do," Raven said.

"We could do that. I want to sleep some more, first."

"That isn't happening."

"Okay…Why not?"

"You will be busy sharing something else with me."

"Can we wait until later to deal with that?"

"No. I will start passing out again; soon, so I need to use the time I have during the day." She said.

"Oh. Sure, we can talk…" he said.

They walked back to Raven's room, not hearing anything from the others, they must still be sleeping. He should be going back to sleep, too, he needed more rest, it was too early. Walking in, Robin sat on Raven's bed, but she remained standing.

"Are you going to stop passing out, at some point?"

"Not for a little while, I have to adjust to the spell my guide helped me learn before I can keep healing my mind. So, it could be a few days or so."

"Right…"

"What?"

"Why can't I just go and talk to this 'guide'?"

"You can't, because you will just threaten my guide, which could complicate things for me."

"…What if I said that I already talked to _her_?"

Raven looked at him, surprised at first, and then angry.

"I told you not to…" she said, her voice rising.

"You can't expect me to sit and let you go and get help from someone we don't know if we can trust," he said, matching her tone.

"At one point, you didn't trust us, and that changed, didn't it? Why can't we give others a chance?" she asked.

"I never said it changed," he said.

"…So, you still don't trust us? We've been through so much, helped each other, and more, and you…still don't trust one of us?" she asked.

"How can I, when you don't tell me anything until it's almost too late? When you don't tell me where you're going?"

"You just need to know everything, don't you? You shouldn't have gone to see her, it could have ruined my chances, but you _needed _to know!"

"I care, I was worried about you, and if I can, I'm going to stop you from getting hurt."

"If you really cared, you would have trusted me to make my own choice wisely. What you can't admit is that you don't trust anyone but yourself, and we're _only_ teammates to you! I know why your real, stored feelings for me appeared practically over-night, it was because I was in trouble, and you couldn't stand losing me before you learned if I felt the same!"

"That's- that's not true. At all!"

"Oh no? Then why are you here? You didn't have to stay with me; you wanted to spend as much time with me as you could if it turned out that I was doomed."

"Maybe…but you didn't try and stop me."

"I'm regretting that now!"

"What don't you regret? You have lashed out at all of us over the years, every time we reach out, you shove us away. Now, you could be at death's door, so you what? Decide to get involved with me, so you can know what it feels like to be desired and find some comfort before it's too late? Don't act like you're being selfless, here!"

"You're a controlling, selfish ass!"

"And you're a cold, arrogant bitch!"

Turning away from Robin, Raven tried to calm herself, this was getting out of hand. Everything he said had stung, but it felt worse because he had been the one who said it. She felt like punching him, throwing something, using her powers on him, or … Raven surprised herself when instead of rage, she felt deep sorrow. Tears followed and she began to cry slowly.

Robin watched Raven, feeling angry, hurt, and confused. Where all of his words came from, he didn't know, but it all sounded true. They had never fought like that before, and little came close to matching it. Expecting her to follow up with some kind of assault, he listened and heard her as she started to cry. He felt ten times worse upon hearing that. Getting up, he walked over to her and gently turned her to face him.

"Hey…I'm sorry, Raven," he said.

"I'm sorry too…I…don't want to die," she said, crying.

"You won't. I'm going to help you and Shadow heal your mind."

"It might not even work…"

"Don't think that, it will work."

"If you don't want to be involved anymore…I'll understand."

"What? I'm not ending this because we yelled at each other once. Please stop crying," he said,

"I'm trying," she said.

Wiping away her tears, Raven tried to find her center. She didn't think he would actually leave, but this was new for them. She was surprised that she hadn't passed out from the flood of emotions that had bombarded her. There were the responses to their fight, her effort to balance those, and the newfound power that was sustaining her ability to maintain that balance. Everything was spinning. Finding her center at last, she turned her attention back to Robin.

"We have some things now we need to discuss, don't we?" Raven asked.

"Yes… Let me start…" Robin said.

Even though he was still hurt by her angry comments, he felt better from having that fight. Now, he knew exactly what she wanted, what she thought, and how he could make things better. What she would do wasn't on his mind; he wanted to do something for her. There was a lot that she had to deal with then, and his desires felt insignificant in the face of her problem.

"Alright," Raven said.

"You're right, I don't trust easily…" Robin started.

"No, that was just emotion, I didn't mean-," she said.

"Yes, you did, at least some part of you did. So, I'm going to trust you… And tell you why I don't trust easily. When I was really young, I lost…" he said, suddenly unable to find the words.

Remaining silent, Raven gave Robin time to work through what she saw as a great deal of sorrow. She could almost sense the rest of what he would say, but wasn't sure, and already felt sympathetic. Giving him an encouraging look, she waited. They stood in silence for a minute or two before Robin spoke again.

"Sorry… I lost… I mean. My parents were killed…," Robin said, struggling to speak.

"I'm sorry…" Raven said, unsure of what else she could say.

"Some gangsters that worked for an influential crime-lord were behind it, and we worked hard to bring them to justice," he said.

"Who's 'we'?" she asked.

"Remember when we all met and I told all of you that I had worked with someone before? That person helped me out a lot, and I owe them… so much," he said.

"So, who are they?" she asked.

"…I know I said I would trust you, but-," he started.

"You're not sure if they will…" she said.

"Right," he said.

"Okay... I understand. Is there anything else you want to tell me?" she asked.

"Well, 'Robin' isn't my name, so-," he started.

"You don't have to tell me that," she said.

"What?" he asked surprised.

"I met 'Robin,' I like 'Robin,' and I wouldn't know you as anyone but you," she replied.

"That sounds…thought out. Why?" he asked.

"We both have a lot of awful things that have happened to us before we created the Titans, and our identities. You knew a lot more about me than I knew about you, and after we're both comfortable with what we know of each other, we'll put those things behind us. Your real identity will just remind you…" she said.

"What about you? Is 'Raven' your actual name?" he asked.

"No… My real name carries a great deal of bad memories, for me, and my father's victims. I wasn't always in control and what I saw my father do through me was… Just-… As far as I'm concerned, that name is an alias for ruin," she replied, "I want to be more than I was, for the world, and for you. So, I don't think we should share-."

The power had gone out again and the lights went out, Raven fell silent. Grabbing his communicator, and positioning himself closer to Raven, Robin called Cyborg. This wasn't happening again, they would stop this…thing.

"Cyborg, report!" Robin said into his communicator.

"I'm here. I sent Terra and Starfire your way already, I'm heading to check the circuits now," Cyborg said.

"Where's Beast Boy?" Robin asked.

"Not sure, I tried to call him, but he's not answering his communicator. We can handle it, though," Cyborg said.

"Get back to me when you check the circuits," Robin said.

"Will do. How's Rae?" Cyborg asked.

"…Peachy…" Raven replied, sarcastically.

"We'll get this thing," Robin said to her.

"Going to the circuits, call you in a few," Cyborg said, hanging up.

"Where the hell is Beast Boy?" Robin asked.

"I only know where he'll be after this…" Raven replied, "And he'll beg for mercy."

"No kidding. Sense anything?" Robin asked.

"No… I couldn't sense it last time either, and that's a bad sign," she said.

"What exactly do you mean?" he asked.

"If I can't sense it, it doesn't have a pulse, or any kind of energy. Or my mind is in worse shape than I had thought," she said.

"We'll stop it," he said.

Robin held onto Raven and moved into a corner of the room, moving slowly. He pulled her behind him and stood in front of her defensively. Hearing something move, he pulled out his bo staff and prepared himself. Behind him, Raven was using her powers to create a barrier around both of them. This time, Raven sensed the intruder, and while she couldn't identify it, she knew where it was. She put her hand on Robin's shoulder and pushed her mental sight into his mind's eye. Now, Robin knew where it was moving, and launched several bird-a-rangs at it. There was an odd howl and a thud as the creature got hit and fell. Sensing it recover, Raven pushed more power into the barrier she had put up. The door to Raven's room opened and Terra entered with Starfire, who held a green flame in her palm to light the room. At that moment, the creature bounded towards Robin and Raven, striking the barrier, and then falling back. Raven felt the approach of exhaustion; she would pass out soon if she kept the barrier up. Letting the barrier fall, she instead focused her power through her link to Robin, so he could see the creature. Terra had no rocks to manipulate, and relied on her strength instead, as she pounced on the dark intruder. The creature struggled free and lashed out at Starfire as she got closer. From there, it leapt back towards Robin, who bashed it with his bo staff, and it was sent reeling in pain. Starfire threw several bolts of fire at it, only to miss it as it swiftly dove aside. The creature dashed across the room and around Robin to latch itself on to Raven. Focusing her power, she blasted it off, and Robin grabbed it. He felt burning pain as the attacker drove its claws across his arm and he kicked it to Terra, who was ready with a blanket she had grabbed off of Raven's bed to trap it. Somehow, the creature managed to navigate through the air and land off to the side. Raven felt her side, as blood trickled from the re-opened wound, and grew angry. She no longer felt weak and found something old return in her mind. Her father was gone, but apparently the rage-fueled power had not left with him, and she blasted the creature with pure red flames. It was set ablaze and twisted around, howling and rolling, trying to put out the fire. Terra and Starfire ran over to trap the creature, but it dashed past them, figure still aflame, out of the room, and it was gone. The power returned, and the lights came back on.

Glancing around, Robin noticed that Terra and Starfire had a few scrapes and cuts, but nothing serious. On the other hand, there was a gash across his arm, and it felt a lot worse than it looked. He put pressure on it to try and stop the bleeding. Turning around, he saw that Raven's wound had opened again, and she was holding her side.

"What the hell was that thing?" Terra asked.

"It is like nothing I have seen before. Are you sure it is of this planet?" Starfire asked.

"We don't know where it's from if we don't know what it is," Terra replied.

"Yes, I see how that makes sense," Starfire said.

"Cyborg?" Robin asked, talking into his communicator.

"You guys okay?" Cyborg asked.

"Not exactly…" Raven replied.

"Did you find anything?" Robin asked.

"Same story: no intruder, no circuit problem, and no help from Beast Boy," Cyborg said.

"Damn… What about the analysis on that link from last time?" Robin asked.

"It isn't finished yet, the computer is still checking for matches," Cyborg said.

"Can you speed that up?" Terra asked.

"Hey, who are you talking to here? If I could have sped it up, I would have," Cyborg said.

"Where is Beast Boy?" Starfire asked.

"I don't know, he didn't answer his communicator," Cyborg said.

"Thrilling investigation, really, but some of us need help before dying of blood loss," Raven said, annoyed.

"Right. Starfire, go check on Beast Boy, and Terra; go and see if that creature left something we could follow. Raven and I are going to go and patch ourselves up," Robin said.

"Certainly," Starfire said, flying out of the room.

"Maybe I should go with you two, you look like you could use another hand," Terra offered.

"We can handle ourselves, I need you to see if we could track that creature somehow, and then find the others. Raven and I will join you soon," Robin said.

"Okay," Terra said, giving them one last look before leaving the room.

Putting his arm around Raven, Robin walked with her out of her room and down the hall. They saw Terra picking something up off of the floor as they passed her. Robin was curious as to what it was, but decided to ask later. Turning the corner, they went into the infirmary and closed the door behind them. Raven sat down once more on the operating table. This time, Robin sat down beside her with the medical kit in hand.

"I'll do your stitches first, and then you can help me with mine," Robin said.

"Maybe we should do yours first, it will be hard for you to keep your arm extended to help me," Raven said.

"No, I can handle it, and your injury is worse," he said.

"If you insist," she said.

Slowly, Robin moved his arm and positioned it near her wound, while he got the stitches with his other hand. Then, he remembered something he had been too busy to really notice earlier: Raven had thrown a fireball. It was more worrisome than intriguing. Could this be a sign of something awful, or did she just not tap into that unless she was in a dire situation? Applying her stitches, he decided to bring it up later. His arm was really starting to hurt, but he pushed through it. Raven now needed a full twelve stitches across her side; he might need five, so his was small in comparison.

"Are you almost done?" Raven asked.

"Just one more…There, now you can do mine," Robin said, handing her the stitches after applying a bandage across her side.

"Alright, hold out your arm," she said, taking the kit from him.

As she applied the stitches, Raven thought back to their conversation that had been interrupted by the fight. Robin had trusted her with a lot and she had been feeling closer to him. She wanted to return to that moment, the feelings she had experienced from that conversation had returned, she wanted to express what she was feeling, but it didn't seem like now was the time to bring it up. Damn the time, I might pass out, we're talking now, she thought. Talking isn't enough for this, actually, she thought.

"Do you really want to know my real name?" Raven asked.

"After what you said earlier, I don't care what it was, I care what you are now," Robin answered, smiling.

"Then, you don't have to tell me anymore about your past. Your future looks more interesting…" Raven said, returning the smile.

Finishing the last stitch on Robin's arm, Raven put the bandage over it, rose from the table, and walked over to put the kit away. Robin stood up, stretched, and walked over to Raven. Something in her eyes when she had spoken made him curious. They still had plenty they needed to talk about, but his mind wasn't on any of that. He put his arms around her and gently turned her around to face him.

"Are you alrigh-," he started.

Without a word, Raven stepped closer into Robin's arms and met his lips with her own. Surprised, he then felt her arms around his neck and found the desire to deepen their kiss. Robin slowly walked her backwards to the counter, letting his hands glide along her back. Feeling him move her, she gently tugged at his lips with her bite. He breathed out sharply, feeling her teeth, and she gave a soft laugh. He broke free of her bite and kissed her, as she began to twist a few of her fingers in his hair. Finding the counter-top, she sat and wrapped her legs around him. He placed one of his hands on her face, the other across her back. Raven kissed Robin again and then broke off for a moment, looking into his eyes.

"I-," Raven started. Hearing the door open, she panicked and pushed him back, hopping off of the counter.

"Are you two doing okay?" Terra asked, walking in.

"Yeah…" Robin said, combing his hair back with his hand, annoyed at the interruption.

"What is it?" Raven asked.

"Starfire says Beast Boy has an… issue," Terra said.

"Well, she's not wrong," Raven said.

"No, there's really something wrong with him," Terra said.

"What?" Robin asked.

"She didn't say, she only told me to come and get both of you," Terra said.

"Alright, let's go," Robin said.

Following Terra, Robin looked to Raven, who was walking beside him, and she just smiled. He wanted to say something and he knew she wanted to talk, but it would all have to wait. Then, she took his hand in hers, and he heard her voice in his head: "We'll get back to that after we deal with them… I wish we didn't have to…" He thought back: "Then, we'll talk about it. What do you think is wrong with Beast Boy?" She thought to him: "Is that a serious question? Fine, I'm not sure, but it can't be good." They walked to the living room and upon entering, Raven let go of Robin's hand. Starfire ran over to them.

"There you are, are you healed?" Starfire asked.

"We'll be fine. Terra said you thought there was something wrong with Beast Boy?" Robin asked.

"You should have been more specific…" Raven said.

"Yes. He is hurt and…I cannot understand what he is saying," Starfire said.

"Well, where-?" Robin started.

"I didn't do it. You did. I didn't!" Beast Boy said.

The group walked over around the couch and saw Beast Boy lying on the floor, covered in blood. His uniform was torn and he had several burn marks across his chest, along with several wounds that had torn stitches.

"Beast Boy? What happened?" Robin asked.

"I didn't do it. I told myself I wouldn't, I didn't think I could. But I got revenge. You did. I know, I told them," Beast Boy said, staring off into the distance.

"What?" Robin asked.

"See? I cannot understand him," Starfire said.

"But how did he get hurt?" Robin asked.

"I do not know," Starfire said.

"He must have gotten attacked by that creature after we did," Raven guessed.

"That could make sense, but where is it?" Terra asked.

"Terra. Did she tell you? I don't know. I wanted to see. I had to do something. Sorry I didn't…I know I did it…" Beast Boy said.

"Okay, so he got attacked, but what is making him talk that way?" Robin asked.

"I do not know," Starfire said," he won't stop.

"Raven, can you help him?" Terra asked.

"I can heal wounds, but not minds. Something has really gone to his head," Raven said.

"So, what do we do?" Terra asked.

"He isn't balanced; I don't think we should leave him by himself, we don't know what he might do. If he got away from us, he might hurt someone," Raven said.

"We could put him in the interrogation room, it is probably the most secure place in the tower, and we could keep an eye on him," Robin suggested.

"This is just…weird," Terra said.

"Yeah. There has to be someone behind this," Robin said.

"There's no one; no intruder, no saboteur, and every criminal we have fought is either locked up or on ice…" Raven said.

"Well, it has to be someone," Robin said, "Where's Cyborg?"

"He is checking the analysis of that metal link you gave him," Terra said.

"Good. Can you take Beast Boy to the interrogation room? Make sure you keep an eye on him. Raven and I are going to go and rest," Robin said.

"Looks like she's ahead of you on that one," Terra said, pointing to Raven, who was lying on the sofa. Robin went over to Raven and nudged her, she didn't react and her eyes were shut; she was out cold. He assumed that this was the response to that spell; she would be passing out more often now. Carefully, Robin lifted Raven off the couch. His arm began to hurt as he did so, but it wasn't anything he couldn't deal with to carry her.

"Aww…that's sweet," Terra said, jokingly.

"Quiet. Get Beast Boy to the interrogation room. And don't tell Raven I carried her," Robin said.

"Okay," Terra said.

Robin carried Raven out of the living room and down to her room. Walking in, he looked around, he had forgotten about the damage. Gently, he laid Raven down on her bed. Looking down at her, he smiled, but was concerned about her, wondering how Shadow would heal her. His communicator went off and he picked it up.

"Cyborg, what is it?" Robin asked.

"Is Beast Boy with you?" Cyborg asked.

"No, Terra and Starfire are taking him to the interrogation room. Why?" Robin asked.

"You and Raven need to come and see this…" Cyborg said.

"Raven is sleeping," Robin said.

"Man, just get down here. Now."

(Chapter 10 will be up next week. ~RavensMind~)


	10. Reactions

(Glad Chapter 9 was so well-received! Here is chapter 10. I still have the next three chapters to keep polishing, and I'm falling behind in my own writing schedule. I will finish the story, but I might need more time than I thought. Anyway, enjoy chapter 10! ~RavensMind~)

**Chapter 10: Reactions**

Entering the evidence room, Robin swiftly walked over to where Cyborg was standing. Robin looked over at the computer screen, noticing that the analysis had finished. Cyborg turned, looking very…concerned? Angry? Confused? Probably all three.

"What did you find?" Robin asked.

"The analysis finished… and the metal link was identified as a piece from a utility belt that Beast Boy had made for himself. I had recognized the link because I had seen him wear it a few times, but I didn't think it was possible…" Cyborg said, handing the metal link to Robin.

"So, the system couldn't find an intruder or break in-," Robin started.

"Because the attacker was already in the tower, one of us. And we couldn't find him during the attacks because he was the attacker," Cyborg finished.

"What about the power?" Robin asked.

"I had it set up to be able to be turned off by any of us wirelessly through our communicators, in the event that the tower was taken from us, so no one could use our equipment against us. He turned it off himself," Cyborg said.

"So, he turned off the power, transformed into some beast we hadn't seen before, and did so to attack Raven…But…why?" Robin asked in disbelief.

"I was hoping you could help me answer that," Cyborg said, "it just doesn't seem real."

"And apparently there is something wrong with Beast Boy's head, he isn't speaking straight, and is talking to himself," Robin added.

"What the hell is going on?" Cyborg asked.

"I don't know… Beast Boy should be in the interrogation room if you want to look into this some more for me," Robin said.

"Sure, man, but why aren't you coming?" Cyborg asked.

"My arm is killing me, I'm going back to stay with Raven," Robin replied.

"She shouldn't be in danger anymore, you don't have to do that," Cyborg said.

"I want to, I need to tell her about all of this anyway," Robin said.

"Okay, I'll be with the others if you need something," Cyborg said.

"Thanks," Robin said, heading out of the room with the metal link in his hand.

Robin walked down the hall to Raven's room. Everything seemed unreal; he wasn't sure if he was actually walking down the hall, or if it was some sort of insane dream. The pain in his arm seemed real, so obviously he must be awake. Why would Beast Boy attack Raven? Sure, they insult each other, but it never went past that. Despite Raven's countless insults towards Beast Boy, Robin knew that she still thought of him as a friend. And Beast Boy never expressed more than a joke or insult towards her, and he let her punch him during training. It didn't add up at all. He opened Raven's door and was surprised to find her awake, lying in bed. Seeing him come in, she smiled at him, and then frowned when she noticed his expression.

"I didn't think you'd be awake…" Robin said.

"I will pass out, but I will recover from it faster than I had last time. Never mind that. What's wrong?" Raven asked.

He sat on the edge of her bed, trying to figure out if there was a way to ease into what he would say, and there was none.

"Cyborg's analysis of that metal link finished…" Robin said.

"So, you know what attacked me, but why do you still look confused?" Raven asked.

"The metal link came from one of Beast Boy's utility belts… We couldn't find an intruder because he was already inside; he shut off the power, turned into some weird beast, and…attacked you…" Robin said.

"What? Why?" Raven asked, surprised.

"We're not sure and if he doesn't start making sense, we might never know. Something messed with his head; it had a role in making him attack you. I just wish I had a clue as to what it was…" Robin said.

"…I'm done. I am just finished with this shit, wiping up after him and the others… When Cyborg gets beamed to another century, Starfire's evil sister, Terra's issues with Beast Boy, and Beast Boy's issues with himself… we can't save them," Raven said, more sad than angry.

"I'm surprised you don't want to tear him to pieces," he said.

"Well, if you haven't noticed, he isn't coherent, I doubt he'd know I was even mad at him if I went over and started dismantling his body piece by piece. Maybe I can't blame him, I don't know what happened, someone might have forced him to do it. So, no, I won't be killing him...at least not today..."

"Yeah. I noticed I wasn't in your list," he said.

"You were never on it for longer than a week or so, here and there… I'm sure I am still on yours though…"

"I want you on there now," he said, smiling a little.

"I'd like keeping you on mine too, but I just don't know if I'd have the energy if I had the others there to deal with…"

"You really want to leave?"

"I think it's time, don't you?"

"Maybe...Terra and Cyborg seem like they would be ready to lead, they've done well without us this past week. I could see us leaving."

"I just don't know what we would do or where we would go. This city doesn't need much attention anymore."

"Well, I know a place we could stay… and a city that could use our help."

"Oh?"

"It's just…That is where my…friend I told you about lives and I don't know if he would want you, or even me, there…"

"I see…That's too bad."

"I need to think about it and I'll call him tomorrow, if you really want to leave soon."

"Thank you…"

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I will be…I hope," she said.

Raven frowned and looked down at her sheets for a few moments, then returned her gaze to Robin. He looked into her eyes and remembered their interrupted moment.

"Any way I could help you feel better?" he asked, smiling at her.

"Yes…Why don't you come over here…" she said, returning a small smile.

"Absolutely," he said, moving across the bed and lying down beside her.

"Just a second," she said. Raven reached over and gently removed his mask, placing it between them. "Perfect," she said, gazing into his light blue eyes.

"Not quite," he said, unclasping his cape and dropping it on the floor behind him. Raven got out from under the covers and took off her cloak and settled in beside him.

Robin pulled Raven into a kiss. As her lips touched his, she entwined her legs with his and let one of her hands rest on his chest. He felt her ease into it more this time, she wasn't as nervous, he thought. He stroked her hair with a hand while the other slid along the side of her chest to her thigh. Raven leaned out for a moment and moved to straddle his chest. Bending to kiss him, she tugged tenderly at his upper lip and he leaned up, following her movements. He put his arms around her and moved his lips from hers, tilting his head down, he kissed her neck as she ran her hands through his hair. Finding the zipper on her leotard, Robin flicked it with one of his fingers so she could feel it, testing what she would allow. Raven reached around and took his hand in hers from the zipper. With her other hand, she tilted his head up and kissed him passionately. After a few seconds, she twisted them back onto their sides, and gently eased her lips away from his.

"Raven…" Robin said, pausing to look in her eyes, "I love you."

"…I love you, too, Robin," Raven said, surprised that he said it first.

Robin ran his hand through Raven's hair and leaned in, kissing her once more, before breaking away.

"Sorry about the uh, zipper moment…" Robin said.

"It's alright… You needed to know. It's not that I don't want that…Just not yet," Raven said.

"I understand," Robin said.

"I'd love to stay up with you longer, but I'm pretty tired," she said.

"Yeah, I am too, what time is it?" he asked. Looking over to the clock, it read: 8:00p.m. It had been a long day; they hadn't even changed that morning, or eaten anything because of the day's events. "Eight at night…You know, we didn't even eat today," he said.

"Hmm, you're right… Tomorrow should be a better day," she said, sliding under the covers.

"Yeah," he said, starting to get up.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"My sleeping bag," he said.

"What for? You can sleep here…" she said.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, your arm won't handle a sleeping bag on the floor very well... And I want you to," she said.

"Okay," he said, picking up the covers and getting in, laying his head on the pillow next to hers. Raven moved over and laid her head on his chest below his neck, and laying one of her hands across his stomach. "I never thought you would act like this," he said, surprised, placing an arm around her.

"I'm full of surprises," she said, "Get some sleep, we need it."

"Sleep isn't exactly on my mind right now," he said, sliding his hand along her back.

"Then I'll put it there," she said, threateningly.

"Just kidding… Good night Raven," he said.

"Good night Robin," she said.

"Hey..." he said.

"Hmm?" she asked.

"We don't have a long schedule for tomorrow, maybe we should do something..." he said.

"...Robin, I'm about to fall asleep in your arms, I don't think you need to ask me out," she said.

"So, what do you want to do?" he asked.

"Well, I've been laying around for the past few days, besides the attack. I feel like exercising..." she said.

"Not with your wound," he said.

"I'm not an idiot. I won't do anything too strenuous. Just a few laps in the pool."

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"You could swim with me."

"My arm wouldn't let me."

"So keep an eye on me, and practice meditating."

"The others aren't going to believe I'm watching your back anymore, it will look weird."

"We could do it later in the night, while they are asleep."

"I'll think about it. When do you meet with Shadow next?"

"She told me to wait until next week, but I don't think I will. I need to know if this injury affects how my mind will heal."

"Can I come with you?"

"...I'll think about it," she said, echoing his words on purpose.

"Alright. You can swim, if we go to Shadow tomorrow."

"Stop acting like my keeper, and behave like someone I just kissed."

"I'm sorry, but you're not exactly better yet. And I'm still your leader."

"Actually, you're not."

"Huh?"

"If we're both injured, Terra is in charge until we get better."

"Raven..." he said.

"Fine. You can come with me," she said.

Tilting Raven's head up, Robin leaned down and kissed her.

"I just want you to get better. And I want to be there to help you," Robin said.

"I know. I just don't know how I will heal my mind, some of the spells are painful, and it isn't something I want an audience for... Especially if that audience would strangle the person helping me if I was in such pain from her spells," Raven said.

"How much pain?"

"Don't start."

"Now I really want to be there."

"And I want to sleep, can we talk in the morning?"

"Yeah, whatever you want."

"Thank you," she said, tilting her head back down and running her hand across his chest.

"Are you sure you want to sleep?" he asked, taking her gliding hand in his.

"No. But I'm tired..." she said.

"If you keep touching me, you won't sleep, and neither will I," he said.

"I know... I can't help it, or I'm too tired to."

"Me too."

"I'm going to try... Good night, again," she said.

"Good night," he said.

The following morning, Terra left her room, ready for the day, at least she hoped so. Cyborg had been up for most of the night trying to make sense of Beast Boy's ramblings. They decided that she would take over for the next day, as Beast Boy might act differently for her. That was the hope, anyway. It didn't seem like it would work, but then again, nothing seemed helpful. Terra debated waking Raven and Robin, they might have some new ideas. Cyborg told her he hadn't had any luck. She thought that Robin wouldn't appreciate being pulled out of bed to deal with this, especially when he had left she and Cyborg in charge. Maybe she could just ask Raven, although Raven didn't have any clue where to start with Beast Boy's problem. I'll just go and see Beast Boy, first, she thought.

Terra walked into the interrogation room, immediately greeted by Starfire, who happily glided over. Beast Boy was laying in the corner, sleeping.

"Good morning, Terra," Starfire said, beaming.

"Sup Star? Is Beast Boy any better?" Terra asked.

"No. He is still speaking in nonsense. Cyborg said that the security camera caught Beast Boy turn into that creature and try to leave the room," Starfire said sadly.

"The door was secured, so is this room. He couldn't get out even if he turned into a damn T-rex," Cyborg said.

"Cool. What exactly has he said?" Terra asked.

"Nothing I can understand. I tried to talk to him, but he doesn't really answer me. He just talks to someone who isn't there," Cyborg said.

"Perhaps his brain is hurt," Starfire suggested.

"It is, but we don't know how it's hurt, Starfire... Maybe we could test it?" Terra asked.

"Right, because you're a brain surgeon in your spare time," Cyborg said sarcastically.

"Raven, I didn't recognize you at first, I thought you were Cyborg," Terra said, frowning at him.

"The only one who could pass as a brain surgeon in this tower is Raven, but even she doesn't know what's wrong with his head," Cyborg said.

"Shall we ask Raven again? She might know how we could find out what's wrong," Starfire said.

"She said she doesn't. Besides, both she and Robin are injured, so as far as we are concerned; they aren't in the building or part of the team until they are better," Terra said.

"I'm running out of ideas, and for all we know, Beast Boy might be running out of time, so unless you have an idea, I'm going to call Robin," Cyborg said.

"No. We can handle this... Let's take him to the hospital and get his brain scanned," Terra said.

"Are you nuts? They can't handle him, he could turn into that creature again and tear them apart," Cyborg said.

"We need to get his brain checked out somehow," Terra said.

"Yeah, and Raven would know how we could do that here, she even got that machine from the medical suppliers," Cyborg said.

"What machine?" Terra asked.

"That M.R.I. machine, she spent a year reading those medical textbooks so she knew how to use it, and apparently used it on herself," Cyborg said.

"How do you know about it?" Terra asked.

"Because I knew how to hook that kind of stuff up," Cyborg said.

"And you didn't tell me we could look at Beast Boy's head with that earlier because?" Terra asked.

"I thought Raven might've ruled it out for what we needed," Cyborg said.

"Well, we need her now, if she knows what to look for," Terra said.

"Shall I go and get her?" Starfire asked.

"No, I'll go, you two get Beast Boy to that machine," Terra said.

"Got it, come on, Star," Cyborg said, going over to Beast Boy.

Terra left the interrogation room and went down the hall, turning the corner, passing the other Titans rooms. As Terra approached another bend, she heard Robin speaking.

"...you. They can handle the team, there are some who would be willing to join to fill our places. I'll talk to my friend when we get back," Robin said.

Hugging the wall, Terra inched so she could just barely peer around the corner. Robin was standing in front of Raven, just outside of her room.

"I'm worried that they might need to fill a third position, Beast Boy didn't look like he was going to get better. I'd like to help him, but there is nothing physically wrong with his mind; he has to help himself. He wanted me gone. Maybe if I leave, I'll return to normal... Was it some new criminal messing with his head or did he hate me that much?" Raven asked sadly, looking down.

"I don't know, Raven, I wish I knew. Hey..." Robin said, lifting her chin up and looking into her eyes, "We'll figure this out, but whatever happens, I will be with you..."

Terra's eyes widened as she watched Robin kiss Raven, then her mouth fell open when she saw Raven put her arms around Robin and return the kiss. Unable to stop herself, Terra felt a gasp escape her mouth. Raven heard it and broke away from Robin, whirling around to see Terra peering around the corner.

"...Terra...How long have you been standing there, spying on us?" Raven asked, nervously.

"Not very long..." Terra said, stepping into full view, "...How long have you two been together?"

"A week or so... We didn't tell you or the others so we could explore how we felt..." Robin said, turning to stand beside Raven.

"So, the 'bodyguard' thing?" Terra asked.

"My idea... it sounded believable...under the circumstances," Raven said.

"So, are you really hurt, or were the infirmary trips another lie?" Terra asked.

"No, I really was injured," Raven replied.

"Are you leaving?" Terra asked.

"Maybe. We have some things to figure out first," Robin said.

"You two are that serious after a week?" Terra asked.

"Yes, we are," Robin said.

"So...are you...-?" Terra started.

"That is...none of your business," Raven said.

"I guess not... I'm just surprised, really. You two look sweet together, though, especially when Robin carried you," Terra said.

"He what?" Raven asked.

"You fell asleep on the couch and I picked you up, took you back to your room, and then I went to talk to Cyborg," Robin said.

"Shame I wasn't awake for that," Raven said, giving Robin a slight grin.

"If you want me to carry you, then ask," Robin said, returning her grin.

"Umm...I don't mean to change the subject, but I came to ask if Raven could help us get Beast Boy an M.R.I," Terra said.

"It wouldn't help. His brain is functioning properly...well, properly for Beast Boy. He thinks he is talking to someone who isn't there, and who knows what he means while we don't, and that can only mean that he believes he is talking to himself," Raven said, "He has to stop on his own accord."

"Maybe there's a spell you know or-," Terra began.

"There's nothing I can do, Terra...He wants to attack me, maybe if I leave, he'll get better," Raven said.

"Then, you're putting Cyborg and I in charge of the team for good?" Terra asked.

"IF we do leave, yes. You've done well without our help these past few days. I have a few Titans on record who could be good replacements for Raven and I...maybe Beast Boy too. Like I said, Raven and I have to work some things out, first. We weren't planning on telling you anything until we were sure," Robin said, putting his arm around Raven.

"But, why are you leaving?" Terra asked.

"We think it's time. We're all getting older, I mean I'm turning nineteen in a few weeks, Raven is nineteen, you're eighteen, Cyborg is eighteen, Starfire is seventeen, and Beast Boy is seventeen. And Raven and I feel like we've been leading you all long enough, she's tired of the chaos and refereeing, and I am over-stressed from worrying about everyone on top of managing everything," he said.

"So, where will you go, and what are you going to do?" Terra asked.

"Those are the things we need to figure out still. We have some options on the table, but we haven't decided yet," he said.

"And you're going...together?" Terra asked.

"Yes...As surprising as it is to you, Terra, I feel that I need him," Raven said, looking at Robin.

"And after all the time we've spent together, here, I know I'd worry about her, I couldn't leave without her..." Robin said, meeting Raven's gaze.

"I'm happy for both of you. When will you leave if you decide to go?" Terra asked.

"In the next week or so," he said, looking back at Terra.

"What do we do about Beast Boy until then?" Terra asked.

"If you're that worried about him, I'll get him the M.R.I... But I doubt it will tell us anything," Raven said.

"Thanks!" Terra said.

"While you're doing that, I'm going to make a call," Robin said to Raven, "I'll join you in a few minutes."

"Alright. Come on, Terra," Raven said.

Raven put her hood up and walked away from Robin, her cloak flowing behind her. Nodding at Terra, Robin turned and headed down the hall to his room. Terra then caught up with Raven, now walking beside her. They didn't get far down the hall before Terra spoke once more.

"So...how are things between you two, really?" Terra asked.

"Wonderful," Raven said, smiling a little.

"And what's wonderful, exactly?" Terra asked.

"I know what you're trying to ask and I'm not telling you," Raven said, frowning.

"Oh, come on, I'm sure he'll tell Cyborg if Cyborg asks. You're supposed to talk about boyfriends with your own friends..." Terra said.

"Don't care... Not telling you," Raven said.

"What will you tell me then?" Terra asked.

"You can ask me about anything else," Raven replied.

"Was that the first time you kissed him?" Terra asked.

"No," Raven said.

"Thought so... What made you want to be with him?" Terra asked.

"Did you rehearse this interview?" Raven asked.

"No. I'm just interested, I didn't see you two as a couple. I talk to Star about her dates too. So, what made you want to be with him?" Terra asked.

"He showed me how much he cares, and could care, about me," Raven said.

"What do you think made him want to be with you?" Terra asked.

"I couldn't really answer that and I'm not vain enough to try, you'd have to ask him," Raven said.

"Yeah, probably. Um...does his past relationship with Starfire bother you?" Terra asked.

"It has been over for a few years and it didn't go anywhere. They really only went out a few times and rarely kissed, they fought more than anything. She was too foreign to the culture of Earth, too clingy, he didn't want to take advantage, and he ended it. No, it doesn't bother me," Raven said.

"Do you think your relationship will bother her?" Terra asked.

"I don't know, I doubt it," Raven said.

"...Have you seen Robin nake-," Terra started.

"I told you, I'm not answering questions like that," Raven said.

"Why not, really?" Terra asked.

"Because the following question will probably be something like: 'how was he?' And I'm not answering that," Raven said.

"So...you have gone that far..." Terra said.

"I'm not saying that," Raven said.

"Fine... Do you love him?" Terra asked.

"...Yes... Why are you so interested?" Raven asked.

"You're my friends, I didn't see this coming, and I want to know how happy you are," Terra said.

"I'm...happy...you can stop questioning me," Raven said.

"But I'm too excited for you, I can't help it," Terra said.

"Try..." Raven said.

"Are you thinking about having-," Terra started.

"What did I say?" Raven asked.

"...Beast Boy and I haven't...he isn't mature enough, yet. I know Starfire hasn't..." Terra said.

"You won't give up, will you? ...Yes...I'm thinking about it," Raven said.

"After a week?" Terra asked.

"More like 'after several years,' there isn't much more for us to learn about each other, we knew a lot before, so it only seems sudden to everyone else..." Raven said.

"Is he happy?" Terra asked.

"You'll have to talk to him, but I believe he is, I hope he is," Raven said.

"He looked like he was...It won't be the same around here if you both go, we'll miss you," Terra said.

"We will miss you too...There's nothing that says we won't touch base here and there," Raven said.

"Good," Terra said, smiling at Raven.

"Don't tell the others about him and me just yet, okay?" Raven asked.

"Okay…" Terra said.

They walked into the infirmary and almost bumped into Starfire, who appeared to be waiting only for them. Looking past Starfire, Raven saw Cyborg sitting at the M.R.I. controls. Cyborg looked up and motioned Raven and Terra over.

"Hey Rae…Think this will help?" Cyborg asked.

"No. But apparently that's not the point…" Raven said.

"We need to try," Terra said.

"Well, we're all set up," Cyborg said.

"Is Beast Boy set? Is he still…?" Raven asked.

"He's in there. And still insane," Cyborg said.

"I do not understand how this machine will fix Beast Boy," Starfire said.

"It's diagnostic, it isn't meant to fix anything, but it might show us something we could fix," Raven said.

"Why did you get this anyway? We haven't used it," Terra said.

"No, we didn't…I did," Raven said.

"What for? Was there something wrong with you?" Terra asked, worried.

"Nothing it could help me solve," Raven replied.

"So there is something wrong?" Starfire asked.

"Let's just focus on Beast Boy for now," Raven said.

"No. What's wrong, Rae?" Cyborg asked.

"I'm turning on the M.R.I. now…" Raven said, avoiding the questions.

When Raven pressed the button and the machine began scanning, there was a flash of pure red across the screen before it exploded. Quickly shielding her face, Raven stepped back as the others pulled her aside. They heard a loud otherworldly wail and then a harsh, deep laugh sound through the room. Then, everything fell silent, until Beast Boy began talking to himself again.

"Bad. Not real. It was; you heard it. Not really. What? No. Maybe my ears, yeah…" Beast Boy said.

"What the hell was that?" Cyborg asked.

"Maybe you did not do something correctly?" Starfire asked.

"No. That was…not normal," Raven said.

"What's going on around here?" Terra asked.

"I have no idea. One thing I do know: Do not let Beast Boy out of your sight," Raven said.

"Yeah, we won't. So much for the M.R.I…This is going to take a while to fix…" Cyborg said.

"Terrific…" Raven said, frowning.

(Chapter 11 will be up in one week's time, as usual. ~RavensMind~)


	11. Healing

(Thanks again for the positive reviews everyone! They have been really helpful. On a side note, the story has reached page 100 in Microsoft Word and it isn't even finished yet. I am maybe half-way through drafting chapter 14 at the moment, and editing the previous two. Here is chapter 11. ~RavensMind~)

**Chapter 11: Healing**

"Yes, I trust her….She wouldn't jeopardize anything, she'd actually be able to help…She's not some girl I met walking down the street, she is my second-in command and we've worked well together…" Robin said, talking on his private communicator to his old friend and partner.

"Because it's time for us to move on from the Titans…What does that matter?...Fine. Yes, I'm dating her…Yes, it's getting serious…Will it be fine with you or not?...Thank you, it means a lot to us…We'll be there within the next few days…After Beast Boy going insane and attacking her, I don't think she's safe around him…We don't have any leads, I don't know who could have made him go crazy…There's no one…Yeah, we could use some more help with it…Thanks, we'll see you soon…She's-, actually, you might get along with her pretty well…Bye…" Robin said, hanging up.

As he put the communicator away, Robin started thinking about how he and Raven would get all of their things out of the tower and transport it that far. He wondered if Raven could use her powers to move everything, or if that was a tall order. She would have books to move mostly, those would weigh a ton, and he would have his equipment to haul…although he could probably re-stock when they got there. Moving wasn't the only concern on his mind. Robin was also contemplating going to see Shadow later with Raven. He didn't know what to expect, what he would do, or how he would handle watching her suffer through some spell. It would be worth it, if Shadow wasn't lying. Would he have to do anything? He wanted to help her. Recalling last night, he remembered how he had taken a chance and told Raven he loved her, and…he felt it was true. He didn't know how she was going to respond to it at the time, maybe he pushed her by saying it. They would talk later, as things seemed to get in the way of their plans. Hearing his door open, Robin turned and saw Raven entering.

"What did the M.R.I show?" Robin asked.

"Nothing…The screen turned red and exploded as soon as I turned it on…and then we heard a loud screech or something accompanied by a…laugh…" Raven said.

"What?" Robin asked, surprised.

"I know, we can't explain it either," Raven said.

"Do you have a clue as to who might be able to do this?"

"I was hoping you might…"

"This just keeps getting stranger."

"We need to get out of here…"

"I called and asked my friend about us staying with them. We can go when we want."

"That's great. What about the trust issue?"

"I convinced my friend that you will be nothing but helpful in watching over that city."

"So, what city is it, anyway?"

"…Gotham."

"Oh…You think we're ready to handle that city's crime?"

"Yes, we won't be alone in protecting it, either."

"Your friend will be working with us?"

"More like: we'll be working with them."

"Alright…I'm ready to go and see Shadow. Are you?"

"Maybe. I'm just…I wish I knew what you'll have to do."

"Me too…But these kinds of spells have specific…rules to them and they have to be followed carefully."

"I guess I'm ready then. Before we go, I wanted to talk to you about last night…Did it seem like I was pushing you into something?"

"A little…I'm not sure how to pace this at all, but…I really don't think I want to care… and I don't want to analyze if saying 'I love you' to each other was right or wrong at this point. Do you?"

"Not really. It was just on my mind."

"You're…sweet for bringing it up. I might as well tell you this…Terra questioned me about us on the way to the infirmary."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"She might try and follow up with you later…"

"Right. Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes. I told the others we would be going out to get lunch," she said.

"I'm tired of lying to them," he said.

"It won't be for much longer, now let's go," she said.

Raven and Robin left the tower together and Raven stepped through one of her black portals, pulling Robin through and they appeared just outside Shadow's crypt. Taking a few steps forward, Raven stumbled slightly.

"What's wrong?" Robin asked.

"…I'm starting to pass out. Help me inside?" Raven asked.

Putting his arm around Raven, Robin walked with her to the crypt and pushed the door open. They went down the stairs into the cavern, where they were greeted by Shadow, who was fixed in the center of the room. Was she waiting for them? How could she be? Raven wasn't expected back for several days yet. Helping Raven across the room to Shadow, Robin looked into the black, swirling mist; trying to figure Shadow out.

"You are early, girl…" Shadow said, "And you…are a predictable one, boy."

"She has been wounded a couple of times and wanted to know if it slowed her mental healing," Robin explained.

"Quite the opposite, in fact… It would accelerate the process… And as I sense her mind now, I see it is ready for the next step…" Shadow said, "the next question is: is your mind ready as well?"

"Raven meditated with me and gave me my 'mind's eye'," Robin said.

"That will suffice. I see she is fading…" Shadow said, gliding over and examining Raven.

"Can you help that?" Robin asked.

"Temporarily," Shadow said, placing her misted hand across Raven's forehead. A crimson flash emitted from her hand across Raven's head and Raven stood on her own feet, no longer leaning on Robin. Shadow took a few steps back.

"Thank you…" Raven said.

"Now…You are ready for the next step, one final spell, and it will require some explanation first…" Shadow said.

"I'm listening," Raven said.

"I need to know something first...While Trigon is no more, you still have some powers he would wield through you, correct? I refer to the red flames he was accustomed to…" Shadow said.

"Yes…I used them when I was attacked, I didn't know I could, but they were there…Although they hadn't been there for a long time, I thought," Raven said.

"They were not. You regained their use during our last session. On to the spell… It was important for you not to know the specifics of this spell so your mind could not anticipate what it had to be ready for, and instead healed wholly, rather than partially. Now, that process is finished, the only act remaining is to fill the hole in your mind. For that, we need the person you have a mental link and bond to, which would be Robin…" Shadow explained.

"Me? Why?" Robin asked, growing concerned.

"There is no way to simply create some lone piece to fill the hole in her mind. Instead, we will need to "stretch" something that will fill in her mental break, and not "overlap" with anything else. This spell will over-strengthen your bond, so it fills in what she lost. Side-effects will be…permanent," Shadow said.

"And what are those side effects?" Raven asked.

"His soul will be tethered to your soul-self. If he had any powers, he would lose them, but he does not therefore that does not matter. You will feel what the other feels during intense moments…such as pain or anguish…And if he gets too far from you physically, your power will be drained trying to maintain the connection… And his soul will begin to deteriorate, it will replenish what it lost when your connection to him is strong again." Shadow explained.

"What do you mean by 'his soul will be tethered to my soul-self'?" Raven asked.

"His soul will exist as long as yours does. As half-demon, you can live forever, physical body or no. You have lost your body before, so you remember the effects and what it takes to regain it. This is perhaps the greatest side-effect of this spell…eternal life extended through the bond, so that one willing to endure the spell is…rewarded for saving the other's life," Shadow said.

"Eternal life?" Robin asked, surprised.

"Yes. The condition is that you must spend it with her…" Shadow said.

"Um…That's…wow," Robin said, trying to think, "Can I talk to Raven for a few minutes?"

"Very well. Quickly, though, she will not remain conscious for much longer, and she needs to be awake for the spell…" Shadow said, walking away from them to get something from her room.

Robin turned to Raven, who smiled at him. Her eyes drew him in and he felt that he would lose himself if he stared into them much longer. Taking her hand in his, he brought their clasped hands up between them.

"So much for pacing, hmm?" Robin asked.

"Yeah...I know this is unexpected and it's a lot to process or ask for, but…if you don't- if we don't do this…I'm dead…" Raven said.

"Right…I'm trying to wrap my head around 'eternity'…I do care about you, I know that I want you, but… Being bound together forever _now_ is…sudden," Robin said.

"Yes, I know. I'm not comfortable with 'now' either, but I don't have a choice. You do…" she said.

"I said I would help you however I could and I'll do this for you. I just wanted to know how you felt and what you wanted after this," he said.

"We'll worry about 'after' when it's done…As for how I feel…" she said. As she finished her sentence, Raven brought their hands down while stepping closer, and kissed him. When he kissed her back, the image of them Raven had accidentally given him seemed to cement itself in his mind, and he wanted to take things further. They couldn't exactly do that then… Instead, he tenderly pulled her upper lip in between his and slowly tugged back. She followed the motion and put unclasped her hand from his, putting her arms around his neck. He met her lips with his own once more before breaking away, her arms still around him.

"I love you," Raven said.

"I love you too," Robin said.

"Touching… Are you ready to begin yet?" Shadow asked, walking back over to them with a book in her hands.

"Yes," Robin said, breaking away from Raven and turning to face Shadow, as Raven did the same.

"This will be very painful for both of you. Raven, you need to channel Trigon's flames during this spell and focus on your bond. Robin, you will need to focus on Raven. I will be focusing the flames while she channels them…" Shadow said.

"I thought it would involve blood, with the pain you are talking about," Robin said.

"Most of the worst pain you ever feel rarely yields a drop…Pain signals are in your mind, so when your mind is touched…the pain is far greater. Now, shall we begin?" Shadow asked.

"Yes," Raven said.

"Sit beside each other," Shadow instructed. Robin sat down with Raven.

"Close your eyes and meditate…Raven, focus on your link to Robin. Robin, keep your mind at ease. Now, Raven, begin to mentally push your emotions and thoughts across that link…" Shadow said.

As Raven funneled her state of mind across to Robin, he began to feel overwhelmed as time passed. His head started to ache and he felt as though he was having every emotion at once. He heard Raven's voice in his head: "You're doing well, keep your focus." Raven was starting to feel drained; she was worried she might pass out during the spell. Shadow sat down in front of both of them and began meditating with them.

"Good. Now that you can clearly feel that link open, I will keep it from closing…Start channeling the flames, Raven, but continue to focus your emotions through the link," Shadow said.

Finding the power, Raven summoned a red ball of fire in each of her palms, letting them hover inches above her fingertips. Her mind felt over-charged and her body felt as though it would be torn apart if another task was added. There was little pain, so far. Checking on Robin through her link, Raven felt that he was gradually experiencing more pain.

"Raven, I am going to begin reinforcing the link, during that, you and Robin will begin to feel the others intense afflictions… This point is where the pain begins to build and it will last several hours, even after this spell is complete. Continue to channel the flames and pushing your thoughts, Raven. And maintain your focus, Robin," Shadow instructed.

"What's…after that?" Robin asked, cringing from the pain.

"If her mind reacts well to this spell…then nothing. If it does not, we shall see…" Shadow said.

"I meant for the… rest of the spell," Robin said.

"As I said, the pain will become greater, and you will both endure it until the link is completely reinforced…" Shadow said.

"…I don't know if I'll last that long…" Raven said, feeling like she was going to pass out.

"You will. Once you start feeling his pain during this spell, the fainting issue will cease to be a concern," Shadow said, "Now, prepare yourselves…"

Still holding each fireball above her hands, Raven continued to funnel her emotions through the link. Raven felt something root itself in her mind and with that came her own emotions flooding back into her mind, along with a throbbing headache. It took her off guard and she focused on it, not noticing at first that she was starting to feel Robin's pain. When she heard him begin to groan, trying to endure the pain, she reached across through the link. Robin heard her voice in his mind ask: "Are you alright?" "I can handle it…I will handle it…" he thought back. Turning her attention back to her own mind, Raven finally noticed the rising pain throughout her body. She no longer felt like passing out, instead, her concern was enduring all of the pain that seemed to radiate throughout her mind.

"This is going much better than I had anticipated…Your link is strong. Next, I shall circulate the contents of the link between you several times, each time the pain will grow, and the speed of the thoughts will increase," Shadow said.

"For…how long?" Raven asked, now cringing just as much as Robin.

"Perhaps ten minutes. Last through it, Raven, and your mind will be fully healed. And you, Robin, will be tied to her. Consider this your final chance to re-consider…" Shadow said.

"I won't…change my mind," Robin said.

"Then I shall start," Shadow said.

Slowly, Raven felt the emotions begin to cross the link and then return a few moments later. The fireballs hovering over her hands began to spin more rapidly and change sizes as the emotions came and went. More pain passed through the link and both were twisting on the edge of what they believed they could handle. Another circulation. Raven's fireballs began to circle her, as she surrendered her control of them to her mind. Robin felt as though his skin was burning off his body. Another circulation. The fireballs lost their form and were now two rings of flames in the air around Raven. Feeling something dig into his skin, Robin opened one of his eyes and was shocked to see red markings along his arms, showing through his shirt. Looking across to Raven, he saw the same kind of marking along her face, legs, and showing through her leotard and cloak; he recognized them on her to be those of Trigon's. Having seen them before on her during the time of Trigon's defeat, he thought they meant trouble, and Robin looked to Shadow for an explanation.

"Such markings are inscribed on the human souls made eternal. We had some revising to do… And the fire is the 'pen'. Now close your eyes," Shadow said, sensing his open eye through his mask.

"I want…to know more…" Robin said.

"Raven can explain it to you after the spell is done…Close your eyes," Shadow said.

Closing his eye, Robin felt the inscribing continue. Another circulation. He didn't think he could hold back a scream any longer and he could hear Raven nearing the same precipice of pain. More of Raven's emotions fired across his mind, seeming to get pulled back each circulation. Another circulation. Raven felt the rings of fire begin to grow in size as she fought back a cry of agony. She knew it hadn't even been a few minutes since Shadow started this phase of the spell. It would get much worse…Another circulation. Together, they let out loud screams of excruciating pain as it finally broke their pain threshold. The rings of fire around Raven were raging through the air, now circling both of them.

"Endure. This is half-way complete…" Shadow said.

(I'm a little concerned how well this chapter will be received, oh well; explanation of certain concepts will be in later chapters. Chapter 12 will be up a week from now, as always. ~RavensMind~)


	12. Insanity's Intermission

(Here's Chapter 12, I think this story may end up extending past 20. I'm working on drafting chapter 15 and editing 13 and 14 at the moment. There may be a week in between 13 and 14 with no update, I want to make sure the events connect as well as they can, and it's taking longer to shape those events. Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy Chapter 12. ~RavensMind~)

**Chapter 12: Insanity's Intermission**

Getting up off of the floor of the interrogation room, Beast Boy heard only his voice in his head for the first time in days. He looked around, wanting to find one of the others so he could talk to them. He wanted to talk to Raven, so he could apologize for all he had done. Maybe he could talk to Robin and he could tell her. What had happened? He had gone crazy. At least that is what he thought, how else could he explain it? Hearing another voice in his head for a week and then suddenly have it disappear wasn't good. The door to the interrogation room opened and Terra and Cyborg entered, looking at him with concern.

"Beast Boy?" Terra asked.

"Yeah. I'm…normal," Beast Boy said.

"That's the best news I've heard in a week. What happened, man?" Cyborg asked.

"Someone got in my head and acted like…me. Sounds awesome, I know, dude, but… Well, I thought I was just talking to myself, but then 'I' was standing where I was. I watched myself in my own head…Then I started fighting 'me' and I couldn't do anything until now…" Beast Boy said.

"So what changed?" Terra asked.

"That 'me' just disappeared. I don't know where it went or why," Beast Boy said.

"So, you know what you did?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah…Where's Robin or… Raven?" Beast Boy asked.

"They're out…You don't want to talk to Raven right now, I'm sure she'll kill you on sight…" Terra said.

"I just want to tell her I'm sorry," Beast Boy said.

"I still don't think it's a good idea," Terra said.

"Ok…Where's Star?" Beast Boy asked.

"She is getting us lunch. Been watching you all morning," Cyborg said.

"Cool, can I have some? Want to play a game, too, Cy?" Beast Boy asked.

"Whoa. You aren't leaving this room yet. We don't know what happened, so we can't say it won't happen again," Cyborg said.

"Are you Robin, now?" Beast Boy asked.

"When he's gone, yeah, I am," Cyborg said.

"So, I have to stay in this room all day?" Beast Boy asked.

"Not just for a day, either," Terra said.

"So, what am I supposed to do in here? Stare at the wall, dude?" Beast Boy asked.

"Until we think you're not going to go crazy again, yeah," Cyborg said.

"Come on…" Beast Boy pleaded.

"No 'come on.' You can talk to us if you want something to do," Cyborg said.

"Okay…Can I talk to Terra…alone?" Beast Boy asked.

"If she wants, you can, but I'll be in the other room watching…I'll turn the microphone in here off, though," Cyborg said.

"…I don't think that would be a good idea, either," Terra said.

"Please?" Beast Boy asked.

"What do you want to talk about?" Terra asked.

"You know what I want to talk about," Beast Boy said.

"…Okay… I'll probably regret this…" Terra said.

"I'll be on the other side of the glass if you need me," Cyborg said, leaving the room.

Pulling out a chair, Terra sat down at the table in the middle of the small room. Beast Boy sat in the chair across from her.

"Why did you tell me we weren't going to be dating? Like what made you say that?" Beast Boy asked.

"You haven't been paying attention, Beast Boy, that's why. If you knew, I wouldn't have needed to say it," Terra said.

"Bu-…That doesn't make sense," Beast Boy said.

"You know what I mean," Terra said.

"Did anyone tell you that we should stop dating?" Beast Boy asked.

"No. I didn't tell anyone what I was going to talk to you about that night…Did you think someone did?" Terra asked.

"Yeah…I thought maybe you and Raven had been talking," Beast Boy said.

"…Is that why you attacked her?" Terra asked.

"No…well…I don't know, something else took over, I tried to stop it from making me do what I was doing," Beast Boy said.

"But you were thinking about it, right?" Terra asked.

"Yeah," Beast Boy said.

"Raven never tells me how to deal with you; she and I just hang out so I can get my mind off of how you're acting. I might talk to her about you and she might insult you, but that is as far as she goes. You're still her friend, in a way, and I don't think she'd ever try and ruin something big for you. Why didn't you come and talk to me?" Terra asked.

"What? You said you didn't want to see me for a while, so why would I come and talk to you?" Beast Boy asked.

"I thought you wouldn't listen and try and talk anyway…and you're doing it now, but it took some time," Terra said.

"So you want to talk?"

"I wanted you to think about why you weren't paying attention to me…And then we would talk."

"Oh…I don't know why I wasn't, the others just kept finding me before you did every day. We would be far into something before you even said "hi" to me that day. All you had to do was stop me."

"I shouldn't have to stop you. Just pay attention to when I say 'hi' to you, it might mean I want to talk to you or do something…"

"…I'm sorry, Terra," Beast Boy said.

"And I'm sorry for not talking about this with you earlier, I feel terrible knowing that it could have made you attack Raven…" Terra said.

"About that...could you talk to her for me? I don't know if she'll talk to me after what I did," Beast Boy said.

"I can try, but I'm sure Raven is still ready to kill you. She is thinking of leaving, you know," Terra said.

"Because of me?"

"Yes and no. Robin will explain it to all of us at some point."

"Is there something else going on?"

"Yeah. We'll know later."

"Where are they now?"

"They went out to eat, they should be back in a while."

"Why?"

"I actually don't know, we have food here...maybe they needed a break from all of this. You hurt him too, by the way."

"I know...What happens now. with you and me, and my messed up brain?"

"You can't leave this room for a while and after that, we'll see, but you won't be a part of the team. So, we'll see if one of our friends from say, Titans East, could fill your spot. I don't know what Robin wants to do as far as discipline."

"Discipline?"

"Yeah. Even if you may not have been in control of your mind, at some point you wanted to do what you did, and that has to be considered."

"'Has to be considered'? Why are you acting like the boss of me?"

"Because I'm in charge if Robin and Raven are both out of commission, which they are."

"If they're out of commission, how can they go out to eat?"

"They can't fight with their injuries, so they're 'out of commission.' They can still do other things."

"Okay...What do we do now?"

"If you don't want to talk anymore, I'll go and eat lunch with Cyborg and Starfire..."

"What am I supposed to do in here by myself? Why can't I have lunch?"

"You can't have the same thing we are, you'll get what we usually give our imprisoned suspects... Not that we usually have any."

"That sucks, dude."

"I'm sorry Beast Boy, but you can't just attack someone out of insanity and expect to walk away without something happening to you afterwards."

"Yeah...I guess you're right. Do you have to leave?"

"I don't _have_ to, but I'm hungry and I want to eat lunch. Why?" Terra asked.

"Could you just...like, stay?" Beast Boy asked.

"I guess..." Terra said.

"Thanks..." Beast Boy said.

(Chapter 13 will be up in a week. ~RavensMind~)


	13. Whole

(New chapter. Read, review, and enjoy! Even pm me too, I'm usually nice :P ~RavensMind~)

**Chapter 13: Whole**

"Stand...It is over," Shadow said.

Struggling to get up off of the cold floor, Robin felt his joints flare with pain the moment he rose. Once fully standing, he looked over to Raven, who was struggling to get up without crying in pain. The markings on her body were fading, as were his own, and the flames were no longer raging around them. Robin held out his hand to Raven, offering to help her up. She reached up and took his hand, groaning as he pulled her up. As she gained her balance, Raven groaned once more, holding her head with one of her hands.

"How do you feel?" Shadow asked.

"Tired...hurt...my head is killing me," Raven said.

"That is expected. Does your mind feel healed?" Shadow asked.

"It does...It's hard to tell with this headache," Raven said.

"Once you return to your tower, you should rest; the pain will go away in a few hours. And you should explain to Robin what eternity means and what he will experience with a stronger link... Do not stray too far from one another at first, keep to the same structure at the very least…How are you feeling, Robin?" Shadow said.

"Hurt. It feels like my bones are on fire," Robin said.

"No headache or exhaustion?" Shadow asked.

"No," Robin said.

"Excellent. Only Raven should be feeling those effects, if everything was successful. Before you go, Raven, there is one more thing I can offer you," Shadow said, gliding off to her room and returning a few moments later with the chest of books Raven had brought Shadow, with an extra black book on top of it.

"What is that book?" Raven asked.

"It contains all that will allow you to learn the language that your mother's books are written in. Take the book, learn all you can, and keep it safe with you. Consider this as repayment for your mended mind..." Shadow said, giving the chest to Raven.

"Thank you, for everything," Raven said.

"Do not thank me. The last thing I deserve is gratitude...truly," Shadow said.

"What do you mean?" Raven asked.

"I was not there to assist your mother as I should have been... But that is a time long since passed, in an age I would like to see fade from time entirely. As I'm sure you would as well..." Shadow said.

"Yeah... I really would," Raven said.

"Shadow, I'm sorry I didn't trust you, and I really appreciate how you've helped Raven," Robin said.

"You're welcome...Now, return to your tower and rest. If you need anything else in the future, I will be here," Shadow said.

With that, she turned around and went into her darkened room, closing the door behind her. Robin helped Raven up the stairs and out of the tomb, they took a few steps outside and Raven created a black portal that they used to take them back to the tower. Appearing outside the tower, they started heading to the door, and Robin stopped Raven before she opened the door.

"What is it?" Raven asked, pulling her hood up to conceal her face, as the markings hadn't faded yet.

"Don't even think you're going to swim before resting for a few hours," Robin said.

"I won't...We can swim later at night, or something," Raven said.

"That could work. We'll talk about it after you wake up," he said.

"Aren't you going to join me?"

"In a while, but I need to check on the others before I rest."

"When are we leaving Titans Tower?"

"Soon, maybe tomorrow."

"Alright. Can we go inside now?"

"Sure, I'm going to go and um... talk to the others."

"I'll be in your room, mine is still a little destroyed..."

"That's perfect- or fine..."

"Is there something on your mind?"

"Yeah, but we'll talk later, I'm sure you want to lay down."

"I do...any chance you could carry me to your room?"

"Are you kidding? It feels like my bones will break just from opening the door."

"I could heal them afterwards...If I feel like it."

"Very funny. Go up and lay down, I'll let you rest and check on you in a few hours."

"What are you going to tell the others?"

"I'll figure it out, don't worry about that."

"Okay, then I'll see you later," Raven said.

"Get some rest, Raven," Robin said.

Opening the door, Robin almost jumped when he was greeted by Starfire.

"Robin, Raven, you have to come and see Beast Boy, he is speaking normally again!" Starfire said.

"Really? That's great news, but what made him insane in the first place?" Robin asked.

"We still do not know," Starfire replied.

"I'm going to go and rest, tell me what you find out, Robin," Raven said, creating another portal and walking through it with the chest of books, presumably heading to Robin's room.

"Lead the way, Star," Robin said.

Following Starfire, Robin was still feeling a great deal of pain, and he wondered when his would wear off. He wondered if he should start packing things up while Raven slept, and if he should pack her things without her. Probably not. Part of him wished Raven didn't go and rest yet, he wanted to talk. There was a lot about what happened with Shadow that he didn't understand and he wanted her to explain it. He also wanted to talk to her about what 'eternity' really meant. Along with all of that, he wanted to talk about their relationship at that point. Too much, too fast, really. But it was important. Starfire seemed quiet as Robin followed her up the stairs, which was rare. He didn't know whether to ask what was wrong or just be grateful that she wasn't bombarding him with questions. She didn't say one word until they reached the interrogation room.

"Beast Boy is talking to Terra, he appears to be normal. You can go in and see for yourself. Did you and Raven have a nice lunch?" Starfire asked.

"Yeah, we did. I'll talk with you and the others after I talk to Beast Boy, okay?" Robin asked.

"Okay. I will be in the other room with Cyborg," Starfire said, walking off.

Robin opened the door and glanced at Terra, who was sitting opposite Beast Boy at the table in the center of the room. Closing the door, he walked over to stand next to Terra, looking Beast Boy over carefully.

"Hey Robin. Where's Raven?" Terra asked.

"Resting… So, is he normal?" Robin asked.

"He sure is acting normal," Terra said.

"Yeah, dude, I'm me," Beast Boy said, speaking up.

"But how?" Robin asked.

"I don't know," Beast Boy replied.

"You don't know? You assaulted two members of this team, you didn't respond to calls for assistance, and you almost died from the wounds Raven gave you; you had better have something better than 'I don't know'!" Robin said, angrily. He was tired, sore, and frustrated; he wasn't in the mood for a long interrogation.

"Sorry, dude, but I don't know! I just woke up today and I was fine," Beast Boy said.

"What's going on?" Robin asked aloud.

"I don't know," Beast Boy said.

"Say something else!" Robin said.

"Calm down, Robin," Terra said.

"I can't calm down, because we still don't have a lead," Robin said.

"Nothing like this has happened before, maybe this is a new criminal," Terra suggested.

"Until we know something, he is not leaving this room," Robin said.

"That could be weeks, dude!" Beast Boy complained.

"Sorry, but we can't take any chances," Robin said.

"Does he really have to stay in this room that long?" Terra asked.

"Yes, he does," Robin said.

"I don't think so," Terra said, "I've been talking to him and I think his mind is balanced again."

"We can't chance it this early. If he is still normal a few days from now, maybe he can leave the room, until then, he is staying here," Robin said, making to leave.

"No. Beast Boy isn't staying in here," Terra said.

Stopping short of the door, Robin turned back to speak to Terra.

"Yes he is. Keep him in here. That's an order," Robin said.

"You're not in charge now, I am, you're still out of commission, and I say he doesn't need to be kept in here," Terra said.

"…Is that right? That is a stupid decision. You don't know what was wrong, who caused it, or if it will happen again. Since this has happened twice, we didn't notice him acting crazy until the second time it happened; you're still ready to say it's okay?" Robin said, his voice slowly rising.

"Yeah, I am, I know my friend," Terra said.

"No, you clearly don't," Robin said.

"It isn't your call, it's mine, and if you don't like it, you can leave," Terra said.

"You're putting all of us at risk and at least one of us can't afford that right now," Robin said angrily.

"Raven is tough, she'll be okay. It isn't like she almost died," Terra said, matching Robin's tone.

"Yes…it is," Robin said.

"What? I thought you said she was fine," Terra said.

"There was more going on with her, on top of what Beast Boy did. She has been resting a lot because of that, not because of her wounds," Robin said.

"What's wrong?" Terra asked.

"I'm too tired to explain it all to you right now…" Robin said.

"Wait, why are you tired?" Terra asked.

"She and I weren't out getting lunch; I was helping her get better… I'll talk to you about it later. Just don't let Beast Boy out of this room," Robin said.

"Fine…" Terra said.

"Thank you. I'm going to go and rest in my room for a while, I'll see you later," Robin said, leaving the interrogation room.

"So, you're going to make me stay in here for weeks, huh?" Beast Boy asked.

"…No," Terra said softly.

"I thought you told Robin-," Beast Boy started.

"I did….but he won't know if you spent some time with me late at night watching TV or something," Terra said.

"Thanks, Terra," Beast Boy said.

The door opened and Cyborg walked in with Beast Boy's handheld.

"Sweet!" Beast Boy said, practically drooling when he saw it. Scrambling over, he tried to grab it from Cyborg, who held up out of his reach.

"Uh-uh. What are the magic words?" Cyborg asked.

"Please!" Beast Boy said.

"Nope," Cyborg said.

"Um…thank you?" Beast Boy said.

"Nope," Cyborg said.

"Come on, dude!" Beast Boy pleaded.

"Nope, try again," Cyborg said, grinning.

"I give up…" Beast Boy said.

"They were: new high score! Beat that, soy-face," Cyborg said, tossing him the game. Beast Boy grabbed it and immediately started playing as Terra and Cyborg left the room, closing the door behind them.

Robin headed to his room to get some rest, playing out different things in his mind. After months of little excitement and problems, everything seemed to fly in at once, and they were all ill-prepared for it. What occurred to him was that he had been so occupied with Raven; he hadn't spent any real time trying to figure out what was wrong with Beast Boy. Maybe since Raven was now better, he could devote more time to helping the team, but he wouldn't know where to start. Robin would be leaving with Raven soon; he didn't think he could figure anything out by the time they left. He could ask his friend for some help when they got there, too. As Robin neared his room, his head started to hurt worse, and the closer he got, the more pain he felt. No doubt he was feeling what Raven was sleeping off.

Reaching his door, he quietly entered his room and turned on a small lamp on his desk. He glanced over to his bed, where Raven was laying on top of the covers on her side facing him. Raven had left her cloak sprawled out near the edge of the bed. Her eyes were closed and she was smiling faintly, sleeping soundly. Robin could still make out the fading markings along her body…it still didn't sit well with him that they re-appeared. He would ask her about what exactly happened when she woke up.

Taking off his cape and hanging it up on the door of his closet, he then joined Raven on his bed, carefully lying down next to her. Robin hoped when he awoke, the pain would be gone, but wasn't sure what to expect. So far, Shadow had been right about everything, and had done nothing but help them, without asking for anything real; only for Raven to study some books. Somehow, Raven was alright and he was supposedly immortal now. There had to be some hidden price they had to have paid, right? Something would come up, he just knew it…it was too clean. There had to be more…

"How are you feeling?" Robin asked.

Raven had just opened her eyes, finding Robin lying beside her; practically staring at her. Immediately, she noticed the absence of pain, and a clarity she hadn't had in months. Everything seemed sharper, her reactions more controlled, and her thoughts screamed across her mind quicker than she imagined they could.

"Much better. And you?" Raven asked, sitting up.

"I feel fine…confused, too," Robin said, rising with her.

"You want to know what exactly happened and what will happen, right?" Raven asked.

"Yeah. Can you tell me what Shadow meant by 'eternity'?" Robin asked.

"Well…as long as time exists, so will we. This power is demonic…you were made half-demon by that spell. Actually, you were molded into half of my half… That was the part that was missing. Our souls are immortal, but our bodies and minds are not. When these die, we will have to essentially…copy ourselves and start over. You remember how you found me when my father returned after I opened the portal? We will not have our memories and we will be children, again," Raven explained.

"So, I won't remember you or how I lived with you?" Robin asked.

"No. We have to prepare for that before our bodies die. There are ways to choose where we return and things we have left behind don't leave with us. So, we will teach ourselves what we knew. It's important, otherwise we have no way of knowing that we would need to stay near each other," Raven said.

"But there has to be some sort of price we have to pay, though, isn't there?"

"There is…every time it happens, it will take longer to 'copy' ourselves. And we will have to stay together. You might like the 'me' you know now, but the new Raven could learn to act in a different way than I do, and the same could be said for you."

"What if, when we've died so many times, that it takes us too long to come back before what we've left to teach ourselves is gone?"

"That is a risk we'll have to take, but I know ways we could preserve those things to last forever. There might even be more information in my mother's old books."

"Okay…uh," Robin said, nervously searching for the right way to ask his next question.

"Ask whatever you want to, no matter what it is, I want to make sure you understand this…" Raven said, re-assuring him.

"Right. I'm not saying I want to now, but if we think we might want kids…how does this affect them?" Robin asked.

"Oh…They will have the same blood, so they will have this ability, but…I don't think we should have any… It's hard enough for me to control my own emotions, I have no idea how I could manage someone else's as well as I manage mine. Also, it's possible that they could cause a great deal of damage to others if they wanted to…"

"Umm…I guess that makes sense, but you don't want to be more intimate in the future?"

"No, I probably will, that doesn't mean it would have to result in kids."

"Okay…"

"You're not disappointed, are you?"

"Maybe a little... I'll get past it, though."

"I'd love to be able to choose for them not to have my powers, but it just isn't possible."

"No, I understand."

"Good. Is there anything else you want to know?"

"About this link…how far away can I physically be from you before it starts to affect us?"

"I'm not completely sure...maybe a city or two away at best."

"Can you find out for sure?"

"I can. I know Shadow said we should stay as close as being in the same building at least, for a while."

"Alright."

"Is that all you want to know?"

"For now, I guess."

"Good… So how long did I sleep for?"

"Four hours or so, it is night-time now. I slept for about three."

"And how is Beast Boy?"

"He's back to normal… I can't figure out why, and if it's for good or not."

"You'll figure it out, you always do."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome…So…can I go and swim now?"

"In a minute, I want to tell you something, first," he said.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I don't want you to feel like you need to push yourself to do something you're not ready to just because of what happened today."

"I wouldn't feel that way because of that, I would feel that way because you helped me by doing what you did. I would feel that way because you risked something for me. I'm trying to pace this as much as you are, but when we feel like we have paced ourselves enough, we need to talk about it."

"Right. I just wanted to make sure you knew how I felt," he said, smiling.

"You already have," she said, giving him a small smile, "you have made my mind…and my life whole again."

Raven put her arms around Robin, embracing him. "Thank you," she said, holding him tight.

"I would do anything for you," Robin said, smiling, returning her hug, and kissing her neck.

(I am behind on my writing schedule due to some real-life events, so chapter 14 will be up two weeks from now instead of one. Editing takes time, as does drafting new chapter events and the connections between them. I am also dreaming up another story to write after this one is finished, still fishing for ideas there. But don't worry, two weeks will go by quickly. As kind of a hint, Chapter 14 will be titled 'Red Water,' simple, fitting, and not entirely what it seems...I hope you are looking forward to it! Until then. ~RavensMind~)


	14. Red Water

(Here's Chapter 14. I can now say that I can see the end of this story coming soon. There will be at most seven or eight chapters following this one. As I've finally gotten started on detailing the ending. I knew where it was going to go when I started it, just not how it would get there, and that has been fun. Some reviews have impacted how it has been moving along, so thanks for those, I appreciate it! ~RavensMind~)

**Chapter 14: Red Water**

Opening the door to the interrogation room, Terra looked over to Beast Boy, who was sitting at the table playing his handheld.

"Hey, it's almost midnight. The others are asleep and I thought you might want to get something to eat from the kitchen and watch some TV or something…" Terra said.

"You bet!" Beast Boy said, jumping up from the table and leaving the room with Terra.

As they started walking down the hallway, Beast Boy began to hear his voice in his head again. "You haven't gotten Raven back yet."

"Shut up," he said aloud.

"I didn't say anything…" Terra said.

"She doesn't need to, dude, you know why she was mad at you," his voice echoed through his head.

"I'm not listening anymore!" Beast Boy said aloud.

"What's going on? Oh… damn it! Come on; let's get back to the interrogation room," Terra said.

"If you won't do it, I'll do it myself…" his voice said to him. Beast Boy crouched down, holding his head, straining to maintain control. Reacting quickly, Terra began to pull him back towards the interrogation room, practically dragging him the whole way back. She watched as Beast Boy began to change into that creature and started dragging him as fast as she could. Now the creature once more, Beast Boy tore out of Terra's grip and bounded down the hall.

"Damn!" Terra said, as she hurried after him, activating her communicator, "Beast Boy turned into that creature and is loose, we need to catch him!"

Whatever happens now…is all my fault, Terra thought, racing down the hall.

Entering the pool room, Robin turned on the lights and walked along the side of the pool to a chair, and sat down. Raven said she would be down in a few minutes; she just had to put her swim-suit on… Which he didn't really believe, he had never seen her wear one, but he had also never seen her swim either…But what else would she be doing if she wasn't doing that? Why was he making a big deal out of this? Whatever. She'll be here eventually. Looking at the pool, he watched the water flow, thinking about what they would do when they left the tower, and what they would say. He was worried about leaving Terra in charge after their disagreement earlier, but maybe Cyborg would help keep her focused and sensible. Hearing the door to the pool room open, Robin glanced over. Raven had walked in, wearing her cloak without her hood up, holding it closed with a hand, and she was bare-foot. Walking over to him, she gave him a small smile, which he returned.

"What's with the cloak?" Robin asked.

"Well, I'm not going to walk around the tower only wearing a swim-suit, especially if I didn't want the others to know what I was doing," Raven said.

"Right," he said.

"…Something is bothering you, what is it?" she asked.

"We don't need to talk about it now, it's nothing really," he replied.

"If you're sure…I'm going to swim," she said.

Raven un-clasped her cloak and hung it on the back of the chair next to Robin. As she backed up and started to turn for the pool, she stopped when she noticed his expression.

"What?" Raven asked.

"Nothing, just…well…" Robin said, looking for words. Raven was wearing a tight blue two-piece swim suit that showed off her features almost too well. She would have looked even better without the bandage across her side.

"Yes?" she asked.

"You're just…amazing," he said, smiling.

"Thanks…" she said, blushing slightly.

"Why didn't you swim with the rest of us, ever?" he asked.

"Because I knew Beast Boy would do something stupid and childish, and I was right," she said.

"Terra and Starfire didn't talk to him for months, I remember, we were lucky that only we were the only ones at that pool, too," he said.

"Yeah, we were… I'm getting in the pool now," she said, turning and walking to the edge. As she did so, Robin noticed a small tattoo of a raven with its wings outstretched on her back just above her rear.

"I didn't know you had a tattoo," he said.

"Like it?" she asked.

"It's very 'you'…yeah, I like it," he said, smiling.

"Stop staring," she said.

"Deal with it," he said.

Sitting down on the side, she slid down into the water and proceeded to swim laps.

Sitting off to the side in his chair, Robin watched Raven swim several laps, finding it hard to resist more intimate thoughts. He wished his arm was better; he wanted to swim with her. How long had she been doing this at night anyway? None of them had noticed, maybe it was a new habit. It occurred to him that they hadn't actually watched the sunrise in days. Plenty of routines were ruined by the events of the past week. Others were created, too, though. That seemed to make up for it, for him, at least, possibly Raven too. Returning his attention to Raven, he saw that she had gotten out of the pool and was walking over to him.

"Done already?" Robin asked.

"No, just taking a break. Would you pass me the towel behind you?" Raven asked.

"Maybe…You look better without it," he said, grinning slightly.

"Pass me the towel, or lose the ability to look at anything," she threatened.

"You wouldn't do that," he said, standing up.

"I might if- What are you doing?" she asked.

"Getting your towel," he said, walking around the chair and grabbing the towel. He turned around and walked over to her, holding the towel out for her. As she made to grab it, he took her hand and pulled her close.

"You didn't really think I would just ignore how you were dressed, did you?" he asked.

"No, I just didn't think you would be this forward about it," she said.

Robin took the towel and hung it around Raven's back and put his arms around her. Suddenly, their communicators went off. Robin stepped away and took his off his belt.

"What is it?" Robin asked.

"Beast Boy turned into that creature and is loose, we need to catch him!" Terra said.

"Where is he now?" Robin asked.

"Probably heading to Raven," Terra said.

As Terra finished her sentence, Beast Boy burst through the pool room door as the creature. Beast Boy scrambled across the floor, heading straight for them. Raven grabbed Robin and flew up into the air, almost to the ceiling, hovering over Beast Boy.

"I've had enough of you…" Raven said, conjuring a red fireball in her palm and throwing it at Beast Boy.

The fireball connected, setting Beast Boy on fire. As Beast Boy rolled on the ground, he then changed into a hawk and flew up at Robin and Raven. They dodged Beast Boy and flew down to the ground. Beast Boy followed, changing back to the creature as he neared the ground. Raven then summoned a wall of red flame between them and Beast Boy, dispelling it towards him. Beast Boy was again set on fire, and sent flying backwards into the pool. But Raven didn't stop there; she broke away from Robin and threw another fireball at Beast Boy.

"What are you doing?!" Robin asked.

"I'm defending myself; kicking his selfish ass one last time is just a bonus," Raven said.

As the other fireball connected, Beast Boy howled as he began to bleed from a large gash across his chest. He attempted to recover, swimming out of the water and scrambling to attack again. Robin stepped forward slowly.

"Beast Boy, stop, we're your friends," Robin said.

"Speak for yourself…" Raven said.

Beast Boy didn't stop; instead he bounded up and latched on to Robin. Reacting quickly, Robin took out his bo staff and slammed it into Beast Boy's head, knocking him down. Turning, Beast Boy raced back at Raven, who was holding a fireball firmly in front of her, and as Beast Boy leaped, Raven blasted him in the chest, launching him past her into the pool once more. Crashing into the water, Beast Boy changed back into himself, laying face up in the water as blood began to trickle around him.

"What…did you do?" Robin asked, looking at Raven in disbelief.

"He didn't exactly give me much choice... Someone had to stop him," Raven said.

Approaching the pool, Robin jumped in and swam over to Beast Boy, pulling him out of the pool and onto the floor. Immediately, he checked for a pulse.

"He's still alive," Robin said, relieved.

"Great," Raven said, sarcastically.

"What's wrong with you? He's your friend and your team-mate," he said.

"He also tried to kill me three times. Even after being set on fire, he didn't stop," she said.

"I just…don't believe any of this," he said.

"What's to question? He tried to kill me, I stopped him, and he's alive and insane… Normally after someone fits those qualifications, we lock them up," she said.

"We are not locking up our friend," he said.

"Look at him! He's not your friend anymore," she said.

"How can you say any of that?" he asked.

"He tried to kill me! Why is that so damn hard to understand?" she asked, crossing over to the chair and putting her cloak on.

"I guess you're right…I still just…I wish I knew what was going on with him," he said.

Then, Terra, Cyborg, and Starfire came running into the pool room, stopping dead in their tracks, because they were shocked at what they saw.

"What the- Is he dead?" Cyborg asked.

"No," Robin said.

"What happened?" Terra asked.

"Beast Boy tried to attack Raven again, we tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen. Raven finally stopped him by setting him on fire," Robin said.

"Why?" Starfire asked.

"I thought it would stop him, and it did…Just get him to the infirmary…" Raven said.

"Right, but wait, aren't you coming?" Cyborg asked.

"No, because I might hit him again on the way there…" Raven said.

"What's the matter with you? Why did you even set him on fire?" Terra asked.

"For the 100th time, I was defending myself. It seemed like it would work best," Raven said.

"So, you were planning to set him on fire?" Terra asked.

"Stop interrogating ME, I was the one who got attacked, and he's losing blood," Raven said.

"I've got him," Cyborg said, picking up Beast Boy in his arms.

"Raven, get to the interrogation room," Terra said.

"I think not…" Raven said.

"That wasn't a suggestion," Terra said.

"What?" Raven asked, regarding Terra coolly.

"Get moving, now," Terra said.

"Or what?" Raven asked.

"Or I'll take you there," Terra said.

"Touch me and you'll join him," Raven said, indicating Beast Boy.

"I'm not kidding. Get moving!" Terra ordered.

"You're…not acting like yourself…" Raven said, backing away.

"Terra?" Robin asked, standing beside Raven.

"I'm warning you!" Terra said, seeming to not have heard what Robin and Raven had said.

"Please clam down Terra, it is not a big deal," Starfire said, approaching Terra.

"Yeah, relax," Cyborg said.

"Did you hear what I said?" Terra asked, looking only at Raven, not acknowledging Starfire or Cyborg.

"Starfire, grab Terra, now," Robin said, holding his bo staff out in defense.

Seizing Terra by the arms, Starfire held her in place as Terra made to move forward. Watching Terra, the other Titans saw only a stranger, their friend was not there. Raven looked into Terra's eyes and saw a faint red symbol floating behind Terra's irises which disappeared before Raven could focus in on it. That was when Terra tried to break free of Starfire's grip, attempting to lunge at Raven, almost unaware that Starfire was even holding her back.

"Cyborg, get Beast Boy to the infirmary and patch him up, then take him back to the interrogation room. Starfire, take Terra to the interrogation room and restrain her," Robin said.

"I'm on it," Cyborg said, carrying Beast Boy out of the pool room.

"Yes… of course," Starfire said, confused, pulling Terra along behind Cyborg.

When the others were out of view, Robin turned to Raven.

"What did you see?" Robin asked.

"How do you know I saw anything?" Raven asked.

"I just…do? I'm not even sure," Robin said.

"Your mind's eye must be noticing the stronger link more, which is good… I saw a small, red symbol of some sort almost floating in her eyes just before she tried to hit me," Raven said.

"Maybe Beast Boy had that too?" Robin suggested.

"I didn't look, I was too busy trying to fight him off," Raven said.

"Do you remember what it looked like exactly?" Robin asked.

"Not really, it disappeared before I could get a decent picture in my mind," Raven said.

"Is there a way you could remember it more clearly?" Robin asked.

"If I saw it again, I could," Raven said.

"First Beast Boy, now Terra's insane. This symbol is our only lead, we need to find out what we can about it," Robin said.

"So, where should we begin searching? My books or your files?" Raven asked.

"Neither…it will take too long, we'll ask my friend for help when we get to Gotham. He has better equipment for this kind of research," Robin said.

"So, should I start packing?" Raven asked.

"Yeah, we'll leave tomorrow," Robin said.

"Good. I'll start getting ready," Raven said, starting to leave.

"Oh, and Raven, we can't show up at his place in our uniforms, it might draw attention to who he is… Do you have something else you could wear?" Robin asked.

"Yes…" Raven said, thinking of the dress she had bought with Terra, "It's a bit formal, though."

"That actually sounds perfect," he said.

"I won't arouse suspicion by dressing up? Is your friend rich or what?" she asked.

"Maybe…he has a pool, too," he said, smiling slightly.

"How hard are you trying to not ask me to take my cloak off right now?" she asked.

"I'm not answering that," he said, chuckling.

"Smart… Come and find me later after you've finished packing and maybe we'll get back to what we were doing before this insanity started…if you would like," she said, giving a small coy smile.

"I'm looking forward to it," he said, smiling at her.

As Raven left the pool room, a strange feeling came over Robin and he had to sit down. It was good that they were finally leaving, wasn't it? He wasn't sure, with two Titans acting crazy, a part of him felt that they should stay and help. However, sitting around and asking questions of one another would get them nowhere. There was no doubt in his mind that his old partner could help them out a lot. Sitting there, watching as two of his friends went insane, he couldn't help but wonder, "What if there was no criminal behind this? Have we done this to ourselves out of paranoia and pent-up energy? Maybe we're seeing things… If so, who's next?"

(The next chapter is titled "Moving On" and it will hopefully be up next week, if I fall behind due to some college class work and it isn't up, expect it the following week. At the moment, I'm working on Chapter 16 and will be starting Chapter 17 soon. ~RavensMind~)


	15. Moving On

(Sorry the chapter wasn't up last week, I've been pretty busy. I am working on the story, I have everything outlined, it will just take longer to ultimately write it due to class work. That said, I wrote a relatively lengthy chapter to tide you over for a while. I know it won't, but I can hope it will, right? ~RavensMind~)

**Chapter 15: Moving On**

Struggling, trying to break free of the restraints, Terra looked around the interrogation room for anything she could use to get out. Looking at her from across the table was Cyborg, a frown on his face, and blood across his chest. Beast Boy's, she assumed.

"So when's the funeral?" Terra asked.

"Funeral? Beast Boy isn't dead," Cyborg said.

"Yes he is, Raven killed him," Terra said.

"No he's not, he was in here with you an hour ago," Cyborg said.

"So, you're covering for Raven?" Terra asked.

"Wh-No, he is alive, damn it," Cyborg said.

"Stop lying. He was your friend, why are you lying for Raven?" Terra asked.

"You saw him. Beast Boy is alive," Cyborg said adamantly.

"I don't believe you. Raven needs to answer for what she did to him. I won't let her get away with this," Terra said.

"What is wrong with you?" Cyborg asked.

"I'm angry, Raven is getting away with killing Beast Boy, so what's wrong with you, Cyborg?" Terra asked.

"Cyborg? Can't you see? I'm Robin," he said.

Confused as he questioned Terra, Robin saw that Terra was acting differently than Beast Boy had been when he went insane. Apparently she couldn't see what was really right in front of her, envisioning something else.

"Terra, I need you to listen, I'm telling you the truth," Robin said.

"Why should I believe you?" Terra asked.

"Because if you don't, you will never leave this room," he said.

"Raven put you up to this, didn't she?" she asked.

"No. Why are you focusing on Raven?" he asked.

"Because she killed Beast Boy," she said.

"Damn it, he isn't dead! He tried to kill her, she defended me and herself, so you need to accept that," he said.

"That's not true, he was protecting himself from her," she said.

"Terra...I've said just about all I can. We have had this conversation five different ways over the past hour or so, I even brought Beast Boy in from the infirmary to show you he was still alive and you didn't believe it...Until you see the truth, you aren't leaving this room. Beast Boy will be in shortly to keep you company...maybe then you'll see." Robin said.

"I already see, Cyborg," Terra said.

Robin shook his head and got up, leaving Terra in the room, securing the door behind him. Outside, Cyborg and Starfire stood against the far wall, waiting for him. Robin and Raven had packed everything for their trip the next day, they were leaving. All that was left to do was to officially tell the others. He was still worried about leaving his team in the state it was, but he wasn't helping them here.

"How's she doing?" Cyborg asked.

"Still insane," Robin said sadly.

"That is terrible," Starfire said.

"I know... So, how is Beast Boy?" Robin asked.

"He is recovering, he lost a lot of blood, but luckily Raven missed the vital organs," Starfire said.

"That's good to hear. I have something I have to tell both of you... Raven and I are leaving the Titans," Robin said.

"What? Why?" Starfire asked.

"Yeah, we need you both here now. And why are you leaving _with_ her?" Cyborg asked.

"I love her...Raven and I have been talking a lot and we realized how much we mean to each other. We're also tired of leading this team, especially since there has been almost no real crime in this city for the past year," Robin said.

"You and Raven? How long has this been going on?" Cyborg asked.

"A week or so," Robin said.

"Why didn't you tell us about it?" Starfire asked.

"We just wanted some time to explore it before we told the rest of you," Robin said.

"So, you thought it was better to deceive us?" Starfire asked.

"It isn't like that. Since we were in charge, we didn't want the knowledge that we were together undermining our command," Robin said, "it was Raven's suggestion, and I thought she was right."

"Well, I think it's good that you two are together, you could help keep each other out of your own heads. Raven especially," Cyborg said.

"She has actually helped me more than I've helped her as far as that goes," Robin said.

"This has been going on longer than you've said, hasn't it?" Starfire asked, getting angry.

"No," Robin said.

"Did she tell you to leave me two years ago?" Starfire asked.

"What? No, I explained why I didn't want to be with you a long time ago. Raven had nothing to do with it," Robin said.

"And I am supposed to believe you after you lie to us for a week?" Starfire asked.

"Star, calm down, they did what they did, it's not a big deal. We all keep our own secrets from each other," Cyborg said.

"Perhaps you are correct. But I am still not pleased," Starfire said.

"Can you at least put it aside for a while? Raven and I are leaving tomorrow, and I know she'd like to go without thinking someone else was mad at her. She just doesn't need it after what Terra and Beast Boy have said and done. Neither do I," Robin said.

"Yes...I will. I still would like to discuss this though," Starfire said.

"Alright, I'll call you both when we get to Gotham," Robin said.

"That's where you're going?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah, we're staying with an old friend of mine up there. I'm not sure how long we'll be there, but that city needs us more than this one now. Cyborg, you'll need to talk to other Titans and see who would be willing to join the team," Robin said.

"Don't worry, I know a couple of guys who would be perfect. In the meantime, we'll see if Titans East can be on call for us here," Cyborg said.

"Good thinking. See? You're already acting like me," Robin said.

"Damn," Cyborg said, faking a horrified expression.

"Very funny. I'm going to go and help Raven finish packing, then I'll go to sleep, it has been a long day," Robin said.

"Will Raven be joining you to sleep as well?" Starfire asked.

"She might... but only to sleep," Robin said.

"Sure..." Cyborg said, grinning.

"I'm telling the truth," Robin said.

"Right..." Cyborg said, still grinning.

"Why aren't you believing him Cyborg?" Starfire asked, "Sleeping is a strange thing to lie about."

Turning, Cyborg frowned at Starfire. All this time on Earth and she could still be clueless about the most obvious thing.

"We haven't done that yet," Robin said.

"You're not lying... I bet you want to, though," Cyborg said, grinning once more.

"Maybe... I'm going to go and help her get her things now," Robin said.

"We will see you in the morning," Starfire said.

"Yeah, Starfire and I are taking turns on who monitors Beast Boy and Terra. I'm going to get Beast Boy into the interrogation room with Terra in a few minutes," Cyborg said.

"Sounds good. See you both tomorrow," Robin said, turning and heading down the hall for Raven's room.

Robin felt what he only could describe as a spark in his mind and the pace of his thoughts seemed to quicken. He assumed it was because he was nearing Raven. It wouldn't have bothered him if there was less on his mind. At that moment, he had been worrying about the team, and figuring out how to follow the only lead he had. The increased pace made him feel overwhelmed and he felt like lying down. Anything, he thought, to get his mind away from his current thoughts. Was this how Raven felt all the time? How does she even function? Maybe you get used to it…

Hearing someone behind him, Robin turned around. It was Starfire. She didn't look happy. Great.

"Robin, could I talk to you for a minute?" Starfire asked.

"Can it wait until tomorrow, Star? I'm pretty tired," Robin said.

"I want to know why you are choosing to go with Raven. You said you would never leave us," Starfire said.

"That was a long time ago, the city was in chaos, and we were needed. Now, the city is under control. I don't need to stay. Besides, we're all getting older, maybe it's time for a change," Robin said.

"But I don't want you to leave…" Starfire said.

"I'm sorry, Starfire, Raven and I need to do what's best for us," Robin said.

"How is she better than me?" Starfire blurted out.

"Stop. Ok? Just stop. You won't change my mind and you won't change hers, so why do you want to talk about this?" Robin said, getting angry.

"I don't want you to leave," Starfire said, stepping closer to him.

"You haven't told me why," he said.

"I want to…try and be a better girlfriend for you," she said.

"That's not…it isn't even…" he started, sighing before he continued, "there are so many things wrong with that, that I wouldn't know where to start explaining."

"Why?" she asked.

"I explained why when we stopped seeing each other before. I don't want to tell you again, it was difficult for me to say," he said.

"Maybe I could try and…" Starfire started.

"No. You just don't get it…. That was always part of the problem and it hasn't changed. I'm sorry, but I'm tired of explaining everything to you…" Robin said.

"Why are you-?" Starfire started again.

"No… I'm done," he said, heading down the hall once more. Behind him, he heard Starfire begin to cry. He stopped walking, wishing he could just force himself to keep going. She was still his friend, he was the leader of-. No. She has upset me more than I've upset her, he thought, do not turn around, I don't need to tell her anything. Regretting his next choice, he turned around and walked back to Starfire.

"I'm sorry, but you wanted to know. Quit crying, Star. Cyborg, Terra, and Beast Boy all need you more than I do. We tried to be together, but it didn't work out. It isn't my fault or yours," Robin said.

"Well, I just thought that one day it would. Since you are leaving, I…" Starfire said, wiping away tears.

As Robin comforted Starfire, he heard Raven's voice echo across his mind: "What's taking you so long?" Robin responded to her in his mind: "Starfire is having a tough time accepting that you and I are leaving together." Raven continued: "Should I…talk to her?" Robin replied: "I don't think that would be a good idea. She'll calm down soon; I'll meet you in a couple minutes." Raven finished: "Don't take too long." Robin turned his full attention to Starfire, who had stopped crying.

"Are you feeling better now?" Robin asked, showing a small smile.

"I think so…" Starfire said.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow. I need to get some rest, Raven is probably waiting f-," Robin said, cut off as Starfire forced a kiss. Caught by surprise, it took Robin a moment to tear away from Starfire.

"What are you doing?!" Robin asked angrily.

"I just wanted to see if we could work again…I guess I was wrong," Starfire said.

"Yeah, you were," he said.

"Could I talk to Raven?" Starfire asked.

"So you can ask her why she's better to her face? No," he replied.

"That is not why. I want to know how she feels about leaving with you," she said.

"Good night, Starfire," Robin said, heading down the hall. Starfire just stared after him, still upset.

Robin walked quickly until he was just in front of Raven's door. Standing there, he gave himself a few moments to relax. All he had wanted to do was to enjoy the night with Raven. That seemed like a wish, now. The sheer volume of problems seemed to just build upon each other, one after the other, as if in rhythm for his team. It felt as if something was trying to keep him from leaving. Enough, he thought, shaking those thoughts out of his head.

Calming his mind, he opened Raven's door. Her room was empty except for her bed and a small lamp on the floor beside it. He had packed up his own things before he questioned Terra. Everything was already on its way to Gotham, thanks to his old partner, who had called in a cargo plane to airlift everything from the roof of the tower. But he didn't see Raven. Then he noticed light shining through the cracks of her bathroom door. Turning around, he closed the door to her room. From there, he crossed to the bed and sat down. Robin took off his boots, his gloves, his cape, his utility belt, and his mask. Laying them out carefully on a small section of the bed, he was trying not to anticipate, or expect anything. He ran a hand though his hair and sighed, trying to stay as relaxed as he could. The door to the bathroom opened, the light went out, and Raven emerged, without her cloak, still wearing her swim-suit, and using a towel to dry her hair. She looked more alluring in the low light of the lamp as light and shadow conformed to her curves. Raven looked directly in his eyes, her own seeming to glow, but drew in to his.

"Sorry I took longer than I said," Robin said, following her eyes.

"I was starting to think you wanted me to wait…pretty cruel, considering…" Raven said, tossing the towel back into the bathroom.

"Considering?" he asked tauntingly.

"Considering…what I'm wearing, how much I want to show you I'm grateful for what you did for me, and how much I've missed seeing those eyes follow me," she said, taking a couple steps forward, leaving a leg extended.

"Anything else you've missed?" he asked, grinning.

"Maybe," she said, crossing her arms below her chest, "what about you?"

"Raven?" he asked.

"What?"

"I know what we're trying to start…You don't have to push yourself into this."

"…Maybe I want to."

"What if I don't, tonight?"

"Is it something I said, or-?" she started.

"No, you're incredible, I want to… but I'm so focused on what's been going on, I won't enjoy it. I'm not feeling my best… that spell just took it out of me today. I hope you're not mad."

"Mad? No. I'm disappointed, maybe. But I'm worn out too… And now I feel like an idiot," she said.

"Why would you feel like an idiot?"

"Just…What I said and how I tried to get your interest…"

"You're not an idiot, it was working…I'm just exhausted."

"Okay…"

"Sleep, then?"

"Yes. Please," Raven said, heading for her closet.

"What are you doing?" Robin asked.

"I can't sleep in this," she said.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Are you tired or not?" she asked, stopping and looking back at him.

"I'm tired, but I'm not dead," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Just come here."

Raven walked back over to Robin, who stood up as she got within reach. He took her hand and walked around her, so her back was to the bed and they were still facing each other. She searched his eyes, curious as to what he was doing. Letting go of her hand, he motioned for her to place her hands on his sides. He reached up and tugged at his collar. She took the hint and helped pull his shirt off. As he dropped it on the floor, she put her arms around him, sliding her fingers down his spine, and admiring his figure. He put his arms around her waist and moved upwards, finding the tie of her swim suit top.

"I thought you were tired," Raven said, meeting his gaze.

"I am. I figured we could at least touch," Robin said.

"So, we'll sleep like this for tonight?" she asked.

"You can go sleep in the pool room if you have a problem with that," he teased.

"Is that right?" she asked, swiftly running her hand to his neck and pulling him into a kiss. He returned it and felt her starting to lean back, making him bend to follow her. As he followed, she then spun him around so he was where she had been and gently tore out of this kiss, pushing him back on to the bed and climbing on top of him.

"You think you're in control here?" she asked, looking down into his eyes with a small playful grin.

"No. I know I am," he said, grabbing her leg and pulling her off to lie beside him. He twisted around so he was over her, pinning her down.

"All the years of sparring together, you have never gotten out of this position. You can't, no matter how hard you try," he said, almost bragging.

"I never tried to, I liked the view too much…" she said, a small grin on her face.

"Really? You should have told me," he said.

"I didn't think you were interested," she said.

Robin let his eyes leave hers, scanning down from her face to her chest, then to her stomach and then to his legs, just over her waist, finally focusing on her face again. He ran his hand through her hair, which was splayed out on the covers and she turned into his palm, looking back up at him with a small smile.

"I'm almost too interested, now," he said, "I can't imagine all the sleep I'm going to lose."

"You were always a night owl," she said.

"Not like this," he said, smiling down at her.

"Ow, ouch! Could you move your legs? I think you tore one of my stitches," she said.

"Damn, sorry," he said, climbing off of her. He looked at her bandaged side and didn't see any blood or anything.

"No, it's alright," he said.

"It's still sore, I guess your leg irritated it," she said, feeling her side.

"I don't see how we'll be able to do much of anything intimate if just touching your side hurts you like that," he said.

"Well, our positions won't be like that, I doubt it will be a problem," she said.

"What will they be like, then?" he asked.

"No, you're not getting me to have that conversation," she said.

"And why not?" he asked.

"Because it will lead to something more and neither of us has the energy for that tonight," she said.

"I really wish I did," he said, trying not to look at her. Raven turned onto her side facing Robin, propping her head up with her arm, resting it in her palm. With her other hand, she reached across and glided her fingertips across his chest.

"Me too… I'm still surprised you managed to stop yourself," she said.

"You didn't think I could?" he asked.

"Based on how you acted earlier, no," she said.

"Even now, I'm still fighting myself…You're not making it easy," he said, resting one of his hands on her thigh, just above her knee.

"Want me to change?" she asked.

"No. Do you want me to put my shirt back on?" he asked.

"No. Maybe we should just get to sleep," she said.

"Wait…we need to talk about some things first."

"Alright. What is it?"

"Starfire was upset that we lied to them about what we were doing and she's still upset with me for leaving her a couple years ago. She wanted to change my mind so I would stay, I got angry, she started crying, and then she kissed me," he said.

"That's just…Why did…Is everyone insane now but us?" Raven asked, trying to believe what he said.

"No, she was still Star, just upset. I left after she forced me into that kiss," Robin said.

"Is she still mad?" she asked.

"That's what you're asking me? Not: did you kiss her back?" he asked.

"You didn't, I can tell. Even if you did, I could forgive you for it," she said.

"Really? Why?" he asked.

"Since we're going to be with each other for all time, I wouldn't really have a choice, but it wouldn't be quick either," she said.

"Oh, I see. And I don't think Starfire is mad anymore, even if she is, I think she'll get over it," he said.

"I'm not sure she will, but we'll see… So, is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"Yeah. Terra hasn't gotten any better. I spent an hour saying the same thing as many different ways as I could, I even showed her what I said was true, but she still insisted that Beast Boy was dead and you killed him. Cyborg said he would move Beast Boy in with Terra and he would watch them, switching with Starfire every few hours. And he said he found some potential members to replace us. I think he'll be fine," Robin said.

"They'll all be fine, Robin. Even Terra and Beast Boy, whatever messed with their minds can't stay hidden for long," Raven said, "Is there anything else?"

"Just one more thing. About tomorrow…what are you going to wear? My friend can't afford anything jeopardizing his true identity," he said.

"I'm going to wear a long, dark blue dress with…and I can't believe I'm actually going to wear them…heels," she said, frowning.

"Why did you buy them if you didn't want to wear them?" he asked.

"Terra annoyed me into it…" she said.

"You won't have to wear them any further than the door to my friend's place," he said.

"It's still not me, I don't do heels," she said.

"I know. You think I want to wear a suit and tie? It's only temporary," he said.

"Okay…Is that all?" she asked.

"I think so. Is there something you wanted to bring up?" he asked.

"Well, I'm curious about your friend and the place we'll be moving to. Maybe you could actually tell me something about either of those things, since we'll be there in less than a day," she said.

"He wouldn't like it if I did," he said.

"…Unbelievable," she said.

"What?" he asked.

"You still don't trust me."

"No, I trust you, I just don't know if he will."

"If he doesn't trust me and he's letting me move into his place with you to help him watch over Gotham, then he isn't very intelligent," she said, frowning.

"Hmm. Good point. Ok, I'll tell you. We are going to be helping my mentor, Batman, keep Gotham safe. He is actually Bruce Wayne, and we will be staying in Wayne Manor," he said.

"So, you worked with him before you met us?"

"Yes."

"Now I see why you're obsessing over our appearances. I don't know why you insisted on keeping all of this from me, I would never tell anyone, you should know that. "

"I'm sorry, I lived under his rules of secrecy for a long time and I still am, really, so I'm not always sure what I can tell who."

"Moving back isn't going to help change that is it?"

"Probably not. I thought about that too, but we need to move on from this, and that is at least a step in the right direction."

"That's true enough. So, how much privacy will we have?"

"As much as we want, really. It will only be you, me, Bruce, and his butler. We'll have our own rooms, too. Oh, and they're soundproofed," he said, grinning at her.

"Very…good to know," she said, grinning back.

"Did you have any more questions?" he asked.

"Just one: Are you ready to sleep, yet?" she asked.

"Yes and no," he said, gliding his hand along her thigh.

"Knock it off, that isn't helping me want to sleep either," she said.

"Can't help it. I don't really want to help it, either," he said, shifting to lie on his side facing her.

"I guess I have to help you," she said, grunting as she rose and walked over to the head of the bed. Raven lifted the covers and slid into bed, resting her head on her pillow and motioned for Robin to join her. He crawled over and slid into the spot beside her, sharing her pillow.

"Now, get some sleep," Raven said.

"As tired as I am, I'm still not sure I can," Robin said.

"Just…control it, will you? I know it isn't easy," she said.

"I don't mean that. I'm worried about Terra and Beast Boy. They didn't go insane at the same time, they aren't acting insane in a similar way…at least not that I can see. Do you think it's possible that nothing is responsible for this?" he asked.

"Hmm. Of course it's possible, it just doesn't seem likely. It would mean that this is the first time that something happened to us that we caused ourselves. As on edge, or as paranoid as we may or may not be without any criminals to fight, I seriously doubt we would be crazy enough to turn on each other," she said.

"That's what I thought, but… We would have heard from the criminal behind it by now. In the past, no matter who attacked us, they would: gloat or threaten us with worse attacks. This time: nothing," he said.

"I know what you mean…And if they could make us go insane, why not make us just kill ourselves instead of pitting us against each other? It would only make sense if they wanted to…show us something, we need to follow that symbol," she said.

"What would they need to show us this for? Maybe it doesn't end with Terra and Beast Boy?"

"When they went insane is interesting, too… Damn it, why can't you just let this wait until morning? I need to sleep," Raven said, frustrated.

"Usually, I don't sleep when there's a criminal still at large," Robin said.

"Oh, you get an hour or two here and there, passing out while you're looking over the records…" she said.

"…How do you know that?" he asked.

"Coffee cups you leave on your desk generally don't refill themselves… and files don't fly back to where you grabbed them from, either. Oh, and blankets can't walk over to you…" she said.

"You stayed up and watched me?"

"No, but I checked in on you at least once during each of those nights."

"And you did all of that for me? How come you never said anything?"

"I thought you figured it out after I did it for a week, because afterwards you started meeting me on the roof in the mornings. You brought me tea too; I assumed you were doing that to thank me…"

"Oh…I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention to how much coffee I had been drinking and…everything, I guess I was too focused on the case."

"Yeah, you were…I'm a little worried that at some point you'll get so absorbed in finding a criminal, you'll forget I'm here. It has happened before…" she said, frowning.

"That was a hard case and lives were at risk, I just needed to-," he started.

"Do everything yourself and abandon me?" she asked, still frowning.

"It wasn't like that, Raven, I didn't think you were in as much danger as the city was," he said.

"My mind was practically taken from me, if I hadn't managed to fight off the corruption, the world would have been ended by my father's rebirth. I was in constant agonizing pain and you ran off to help the others deal with a…hole…in the ground," she said.

"How was I supposed to know it was a trick to distract us from your problem? A gaping pit swallowed part of the city…" he said.

"How were-? I told you before you left!" she said angrily.

"We've been over this, I'm sorry I didn't trust you then. You were unpredictable… I should have handled it better, you're right…" he said.

Turning to lay on her back, Raven looked up towards the ceiling, avoiding Robin's gaze. She should be asleep, or she should be exploring him, not fighting with him. The longer she stayed awake, the more she became aware of her over-taxed mind. If she didn't get to sleep soon, her powers would suffer the following day, maybe more. The effects of Shadow's spell demanded that they both get sufficient rest that night.

"Raven," Robin said, reaching across and touching her cheek, "I couldn't have chosen a better second-in-command than you… to help lead, challenge me, and support me. No one else has cared about me like this, or made me feel the way you do, or helped me like you have…I've led this team through so much, and I couldn't have done it without you. Even though I saved you today, I'm the one who owes you."

"…Do you mean that?" Raven asked, looking back at him.

"Yes, I do," he said, smiling at her.

"Um…I know it's late and we're tired, I was going to wait until tomorrow, but I have something to show you," she said, returning a small smile.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Since our link is stronger, we can feel what the other feels on top of what we already feel. So, focus your mind on mine, I will focus on yours," she said, turning her body to face his once more.

Doing as Raven said, Robin focused on her mind, and connected to her emotions. When she connected to his, they both felt a rush of heightened awareness and sensitivity.

"Wow…This is amazing," he said.

"Just wait…I haven't shown you what I wanted to yet," she said.

"So, what is it?" he asked.

As Robin finished speaking, Raven met his lips with her own. He felt sweeping waves of euphoria pound into his mind from two different sources: Raven and his own mind. She reached her arm around his neck, almost clinging to him, and he put his arm around her back, digging his fingers into her skin. It was almost too intense to keep control and he was enjoying every second. She took his lower lip in both of hers and lightly bit. This added to the intensity and he dug his fingers deeper into the skin of her back, sliding down ward. He broke from her bite and bit her back on her upper lip. She entwined her legs with his and almost tore into his neck with her fingernails as the euphoria intensified. Raven kissed him once more before breaking away, a small devious smile playing on her face.

"That… was incredible. Can that technique work with other things?" he asked.

"Yes it can," she said.

"Like what?" he asked, a small grin on his face.

"Hmm…Well, yes, it can work for what you're thinking about... It can also work during combat, giving us an edge over opponents. We can use it in high-energy situations, mainly. Unfortunately, it drains my power faster," she said.

"Think of all the potential attack patterns we could come up with using this," he said, excitedly.

"New attack patterns? You're more excited about _that_?" she asked.

"No, I'm just trying to ignore thinking about what I don't have the energy for," he said.

"It isn't working."

"You're one to talk."

"…Shut up."

"Hmmm. Now I know what you want…"

"Don't even. I will hurt you…"

"You wouldn't, you need me at my best, so you can't injure me. So, what should I do?"

"Stop. It."

"That picture of us back in your mind yet?" he asked, inching closer to her.

"Yes, and it looks like someone edited your head out of it," she threatened.

"What will you do if I do this?" he asked, gliding his hand to the tie of her swim suit top and pretended to start undoing it.

"Disembowel you with your own head... Robin, I mean it, if we don't rest, we could have some additional side effects from the spell to deal with. If you're alright with waking nightmares, keep untying…" Raven said.

"Waking nightmares?" he asked.

"You will dream while you are awake…and you won't be able to tell what you're dreaming and what you're actually seeing. Or you will, and it will be very…unsettling," she said.

"Why didn't you tell me that earlier?" he asked.

"I didn't think we would be up long enough for it to become an issue," she said.

"Alright, we'll sleep," he said.

"Good."

"No matter what happens to us after we leave tomorrow, I want you to know I wouldn't have left with anyone else. Before, I thought that as a team, the Titans would either all go our separate ways, or leave one at a time as new members joined to fill our spots. I'm glad you'll be with me," he said, smiling.

"Robin, that's…sweet… I love you so much," she said, smiling back. She moved her head from the pillow to lie on his chest as she had the night before.

"I love you too, Raven," he said, putting his arm around her.

It wasn't long before Robin fell asleep, as tired as he sounded, Raven wasn't surprised. She was nervous about the following day, as she hadn't a clue what to expect from Robin's mentor. It sounded like they had been close; maybe Robin developed some of his mentor's personality as well. Gotham was notorious for its crime, that she knew, and it would only mean more dire situations than they were used to dealing with in Jump City. It made her more anxious about leaving, she wasn't sure if she would be able to handle everything. 'Things change,' she thought, gliding her hand softly across Robin's chest, while adjusting her position under his arm. All it took was a small push, and they had chosen to leave. How easy it had been to just decide to leave bothered her, it seemed like it should have taken more convincing from her to get Robin to agree with her. Maybe he had been as miserable as she was with no criminal activity to monitor, but just hid it better. Stopping herself, Raven focused instead on sleep. They were leaving, that was all there was to it.

(It makes me sad that I have to say this, but, the next chapter won't be up for 2-3 weeks this time. I want to write this story, I really do, but I also want a degree. The next chapter is called 'Outros and Intros' and it will be up either 2 or 3 weeks from now, I promise it won't be later than that. Maybe you could write something for me, in the meantime? Another review, maybe? I like reading about how you like or don't like this story as much as you like or don't like reading it...hopefully. :) ~RavensMind~)


	16. Outros and Intros

(I'm sorry for the lack of update for a while, a lot of my writing "spirit" has been siphoned off to two college courses. I will try to stay to a schedule of every two weeks, now, and if there is a three week period, I will mention it. Thanks for reading, waiting, and reviewing - this story will be finished yet, I promise. Enjoy chapter 16 :) ~RavensMind~)

**Chapter 16: Outros and Intros**

The following morning, Raven had gotten up before Robin and was almost finished getting ready. All she had left to do was get her… heels out of the closet. The word alone made her want to puke. Raven had put her dress on and was adjusting it in her bathroom mirror. She didn't mind the dress as much as she did the heels. It went down to her ankles, had a slit just above her knee, showing off her leg. There wasn't much of a back either, it wasn't long enough to reveal her tattoo, though, luckily. The front wasn't cut very low, low enough, in her opinion. At least it was blue. Walking out of the bathroom, she had to stop before practically slamming into Robin.

"What are you doing?" Raven asked.

"Waiting for you…You look great," Robin said, eyeing her dress.

"No I don't, I feel like a joke," she said, frowning.

"I think you just need some convincing," he said, grinning slightly.

"And I'd like that, but you need to get dressed. I want to leave soon," she said.

"If you say so, I'll get ready," he said, going into the bathroom.

After Robin shut the door, Raven walked to her closet and got out her shoes. Damn it…fine, I have to, she thought. Putting them on, she walked around her room, trying to get used to them. She heard Robin turn on the shower, hoping he wouldn't take long. She was on edge, the last thing she wanted to do was wait. Then there was a knock at her door. She walked over and opened the door. It was Starfire, great, she thought. Starfire didn't look happy, for once, and Raven knew it was a bad sign.

"Hey, Starfire…What do you want?" Raven asked.

"I want to know why," Starfire said.

"'Why' what?" Raven asked.

"Why is he leaving with you? Why does he want to leave with you? Why is he with you? He should be with-," Starfire blurted, suddenly stopping.

"Starfire…Robin isn't your property. He has his own free will. I know that sounds a little contradictive now, but-," Raven said.

"What do you mean? Has he no free will?" Starfire asked.

"I was referring to having his soul tied to mine forever yesterday in a spell to heal my mind so I wouldn't die-," Raven said.

"What?!" Starfire interrupted.

"Oh…I thought he told the rest of you about it. He isn't yours, he isn't mine, and I'm not his. He and I just…are," Raven said.

"You were my friend. You should have told me about all of this," Starfire said.

"Why? So you could ruin what we were exploring?" Raven asked.

"I would not have done that," Starfire said.

"Do you think I'm an idiot? Do you think I forgot all those conversations we had while you were dating Robin, and after? You were clear on how you would deal with anyone who threatened a second chance for you to be with Robin," Raven said.

"You…remember everything I said?" Starfire asked.

"Yes, I do. I didn't say anything while you complained about not being together after he stopped being with you, I thought you would work through it, because Robin said you would. He was wrong. So…Get. Over it," Raven said.

"Why are you being so angry?" Starfire asked.

"Maybe because you're being thoughtless. I haven't been this happy in a long time, neither has he, if you were our friend: you would be happy _for us_," Raven explained.

"Don't leave…don't make him…" Starfire said.

"Apparently I can't help you understand…how unexpected," Raven said dryly.

"Raven, please," Starfire said.

"Every time you ask us not to go, you're showing how little the two of us really matter to you. Maybe you should go and wait with the others until we leave…" Raven said, frowning sadly.

"But-," Starfire started.

"Go. Away," Raven said, closing the door on Starfire. She walked over to the bed, nearly tripping, forgetting her heels.

Raven sat down on the edge of the bed and felt the urge to punch a hole in the wall. Instead, she had a sudden wave of depression hit her. She closed her eyes and put her face in her hands. Did everyone secretly hate her? Beast Boy might have been crazy when he attacked her, but it wasn't towards anyone else, and he had been angry at her. Terra cared more about Beast Boy's wellbeing than her own. Now Starfire. She had been there for all of them, listening to them, helping them, and putting up with their general immaturity. Cyborg and Robin listened to her, she could relate to them, they had grown up…maybe that was the main difference from the other three. The bathroom door opened and Robin came out, fully dressed in a suit and tie. He crossed over to Raven, sitting down next to her. She hadn't looked up.

"Raven? What's wrong?" Robin asked, putting his arm around her. She didn't say anything. He ran his hand through her hair gently and with his free hand he slowly pulled her hands away from her face.

"Hey…What is it?" he asked.

"Starfire…" she said.

"What did she do?" he asked.

"Guess," she said.

"I'm sorry…I should have explained things to her more clearly," he said.

"I don't think she would have accepted this, no matter what you or I did or didn't say," she said.

"Why are you so down, then? You've handled worse before," he said.

"If she was the only one who was angry with me, it wouldn't be so difficult," she said.

"We'll figure out what changed our friends and get them back to normal, they like you. Don't let it stop you from doing anything," he said.

"That can't be the only thing wrong, though. Even without whatever is doing this to them, they must have something against me, or else why only focus on me?" she asked.

"I don't know yet. Come on, let's get going, you'll feel better when we get to Gotham," Robin said, getting up and offering his hand to help her up.

"Alright," Raven said, taking his hand and standing up.

They picked up the last two bags they had, containing what they had kept for the previous night, Robin put his mask on, and they walked out of Raven's room. She had decided to leave her bed behind, as she saw no real need to take it. Apparently her new room was already furnished, so what she brought would be an addition to what was there. Robin had said that his mentor had left his room intact, so he wouldn't need to adjust much. Continuing down the hallway, they made their way into the living room where Cyborg was waiting for them. They met him just in front of the couch.

"Hey Cyborg. Where's Starfire?" Robin asked.

"She didn't want to say good bye, so she's watching Terra and Beast Boy," Cyborg said, frowning.

"That's ridiculous. After everything we've all been through…" Robin said, matching Cyborg's expression.

"She'll accept it eventually, unless her people mature slower than we do…which isn't a bad guess," Raven said.

"Hope so. Still can't believe you're leaving, but I can deal. They'll be fine, I'll kick them into shape," Cyborg said, smiling.

"You found my notes, right? Did you contact the new recruits? Are the-?" Robin asked.

"Relax, man, I said I can do this. Yeah, I did all that. The new recruits will be here in a couple of weeks. They're pretty excited to be on the team. So what's with the clothes?" Cyborg asked.

"They're just our cover, my friend is very-," Robin started.

"Paranoid," Raven finished, "And I hate what I have to wear because of it…should make him wear these shoes."

"Rae, I'm really going to miss you. Who's going to help me with the car and kick BB's butt now?" Cyborg asked.

"One of the recruits, I guess," Raven said.

"They don't know how to get to him like you do," Cyborg said.

"They'll learn… I'll miss you too, Cyborg, you've been a good friend," she said, smiling at him.

"So have you," Cyborg said, smiling back.

Raven set her bags down and embraced him, glad that at least one person wouldn't hate her when she left. Cyborg returned her hug and nodded at her as she stepped back. He turned to Robin and held out his hand.

"I'll miss you too, man, going to have to find a new 'boom' now, and a new gaming buddy and…well, you know where I'm going; you're the man," Cyborg said.

"Thanks, Cyborg, and your 'sonic' could always stand on its own. Good luck leading the new Titans, Raven and I appreciate you taking over, you'll do great," Robin said, putting his bag down and shaking Cyborg's hand. Robin smiled and let his hand drop as Cyborg ceased.

"Yeah. Both of you take care of each other. The tower will always be here for you, so come when you want to. I'd like to see you both again," Cyborg said.

"We will. Tell the others we said good bye," Robin said.

"Will do. You know…Rae, Robin said you love him, and I think he's lying to me," Cyborg said.

"He isn't," she said.

"How do I know?" Cyborg asked.

"You're just trying to get me to kiss him," she said.

"Come on, Rae, I just want to see this before you leave," Cyborg said.

"…Alright," she said.

Turning to Robin, Raven got close, putting her arms around his neck and kissed him. He put an arm around her waist and kissed back. They froze like that for a few seconds before returning to their original positions, looking back at Cyborg, Raven was blushing a little and Robin was smiling.

"Okay, you're not lying. I'm happy for you two. Just wish Star could be too," Cyborg said.

"She'll get over it," Robin said.

"She better, or one of the recruits is going to be my second-in-command. You two better get moving," Cyborg said.

"Yeah, we should. Good bye Cyborg," Robin said.

"Good bye Cy," Raven said.

"Take it easy," Cyborg said.

Picking up their bags, Robin and Raven waved to Cyborg as they walked out of the living room and went to the stairs. Raven was about to walk down when Robin pointed up, towards the roof. They went up the steps and opened the door to the roof, where a helicopter was touching down.

"This is his idea of keeping a low profile?" she asked.

"Yes, actually," he said, removing his mask and placing it in his pocket as they got in the helicopter.

Stepping out of the helicopter onto the lawn before Wayne Manor, Robin and Raven walked to the front door with their bags. Raven was surprised at how large the house really was, it wasn't the tower, but she felt that she would adjust. She was nervous about Robin's mentor and how we would respond to her. As they reached the door, Robin rang the bell, and then turned to her; giving a reassuring smile, which she appreciated. The door opened and an old man wearing a black suit greeted them.

"Hello, Alfred," Robin said.

"Welcome back Master-," Alfred began to say, stopped by Robin, who shook his head, and indicated Raven.

"…It's a pleasure to see you again," Alfred said.

"Nice to see you too, Alfred," Robin said.

"And it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss…?" Alfred asked, waiting for her reply.

"…Roth," Raven said. As she spoke the word, Robin felt Raven's emotions sink, even though she held her expression.

"Miss Roth, welcome. Master Wayne has been looking forward to meeting you. Please come in," Alfred said, holding the door open for both of them.

"Thanks, Alfred," Robin said as he and Raven walked in as Alfred closed the door behind them.

"Master Wayne is waiting for you in the library when you're ready, Miss Roth," Alfred said.

Raven looked to Robin nervously. He smiled encouragingly. "It's how he works, just be honest, and his questions will be pretty basic," Robin thought to her. "Has he done this with everyone you've brought here?" Raven thought back. "Yes, but I haven't brought many here, and never a girl I really cared about," Robin thought to her. "Must have been lonely," Raven thought to him. "That's part of why I left... It'll be fine, don't worry," he thought back. She smiled at him, handed him her things, and then followed Alfred to the library.

"If you don't mind me asking, miss, I'm just curious as to why he has not told you his actual name," Alfred said, as they walked through the house.

"I asked him not to. I haven't told him mine either. There are some things that we both don't need to know about each other's past. This way, I know him as he is, not as he was," Raven said.

"That is quite interesting, I suspect Master Wayne will say as much as well," Alfred said.

"What else might he say?" Raven asked.

"He will most likely ask you about your capabilities in combat and your willingness to stand up for what you believe," Alfred said.

"Has he 'interviewed' anyone else like this before?" Raven asked.

"An apt word, yes he has, but I believe that this matters more than the other instances. Not only do you want to defend this city; you also wish to live here, and you are involved with the closest thing he has to a real son…" Alfred said.

"Then I'll do what I have to, to keep what I care for," Raven said.

"At times, that's all we can do, miss… He's just in there," Alfred said, indicating the doors to the library.

"Thank you, Alfred," Raven said, a small grateful smile on her face.

"You're welcome," he said, opening the door for her.

Entering the library, Raven looked around, finding it to be one of the nicest she had seen. A feeling of belonging swept through her as she noticed the sheer volume of books. The room seemed darker than the parts of the house she had seen. A tall, well-built man stood beside a desk in the corner of the room. He was wearing a suit and seemed to be staring right through her.

"Master Wayne, this is Miss Roth, she and Master-…or, your friend just arrived moments ago. You asked to see her, I believe?" Alfred said.

"Yes. Thank you, Alfred. Please help my friend get settled in, will you?" Bruce said.

"Of course," Alfred said, exiting the room swiftly, closing the doors behind him.

"Would you like to have a seat?" Bruce asked her, indicating an arm chair near the fireplace.

"Yes, thank you," Raven said, sitting down, as Bruce moved to stand in front of her.

"First, Raven, I want to thank you for assisting Robin with leading the Titans, you have all done a remarkable job reducing your city's crime, and I know he appreciated your support," Bruce said.

"Thank you, it wasn't easy," she said.

"Now, I won't 'interrogate' you, but I do have some questions that I need you to answer," Bruce said.

"Alright…What do you want to know?" she asked.

"How serious is your relationship with Robin?" he asked.

"I love him...I would fight with him, or for him, and I don't care what's in my way," she said.

"Is it true that you are the daughter of, essentially, a demon bent on destroying the world?" he asked.

"Yes…but I'm not a part of that agenda, I never wanted to be. Besides, he has been destroyed," she said.

"If you had to choose between saving either Robin, or Gotham, which would it be?" he asked.

"Both," she said.

"For this scenario, that isn't possible," he said.

"Actually, it is… His soul is bound to mine, what threatens one of us, threatens us both, and neither of us can be permanently killed. If we physically stray too far from each other, though, we will suffer," she said.

"How did that happen?' he asked.

"It's a long story…" she said.

"…So you don't just want to be here, you need to be here, or else you'll suffer?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

"Then, what I might say about the two of you being together doesn't matter to you, does it?" he asked.

"I would like it if we could be civil, I want you to like me, but if not…No, it won't matter what you say, to me, to him, or to anyone, really. Sorry," she said.

"Hmm, well, I have already decided. I don't think this is smart, but...You've shown that you've worked with him well in the past and it's clear that you have a vested interest in keeping him alive and happy. I want to know more about his soul being bound to yours, but… At the moment, I have little reason, beyond that, not to trust you. Don't let that change," he said.

"I will do my best," she said.

"Good. I have another question: why don't you want to know his name?" he asked.

"It's just not important to us. We didn't know each other before the Titans, his name has bad memories for him, and mine has terrible memories for me. I know him as Robin, he knows me as Raven, we love what we know, and not knowing either's real name has not affected that in any way," she said.

"Well, I can't call you 'Raven' when we need to keep a low profile, neither can he. I also can't call him 'Robin,'" he said.

"So, come up with some cover names for us," she said.

"People already know him by his real name, so we can't do that," he said.

"Fine…I'll talk to him about it," she said.

"Good," he said.

"Are there any rules for living here that I should know about?" she asked.

"Yes. Robin and Alfred will go over them with you later. Now, go and get yourself organized. We are going to start researching a symbol Robin mentioned, as well as individuals who could cause your friends to lose their sanity... If that's what happened," he said.

"Alright. Thank you for taking us in, we'll help however we can," she said.

"I don't doubt that. Get moving, Raven, the three of us have a lot of work to do," he said.

"Right," she said, getting up from the chair and heading for the door. Alfred opened it for her as she left and led her through the halls, up the staircase to the top level, and showed her to her new room. Robin was waiting for them just outside her door.

"Thanks, Alfred," Raven said.

"You're welcome. I shall leave the two of you to get situated," Alfred said, walking away.

"So...How did it go?" Robin asked.

"I think it went well, but I'm not sure if he meant everything he said. Even if he did, there's a good chance he still doesn't think getting involved with me was a good thing for you..." Raven said.

"Give him some time to get to know you better: how you fight, what you know, and how you'll help. I'm sure he'll come around eventually," he said.

"I hope so," she said.

"Come on, let's unload and unpack. We need to get moving if we're going to start researching that symbol tonight," he said.

"Alright, I'll see you soon," she said, entering her room as he headed down the hall to his.

(Chapter 17, which is called: 'Concerning Madness,' should be up on or around October 12th ~RavensMind~)


	17. Concerning Madness

**Chapter 17: Concerning Madness**

Finally, Raven thought, as she finished organizing her new room. It was much nicer than her old one, darker somehow, and she already felt good about the decision to leave the tower. Picking up the chest of books with Shadow's guide-book, she placed it on the bed, intending to read through them soon. Raven changed back into her uniform, as they were now secure in Wayne Manor. She wondered how the others were doing. It had been hours since she and Robin had arrived and there was a chance, however slim, that Terra or Beast Boy had gotten better. They would have heard about something like that, though. Helping them was the only thing on their priority list now and if she wasted any more time in her room, she felt as though they would just snap without warning again. Raven didn't want to think about that, maybe Robin was finished unpacking too. Leaving her room, she walked down the hall to Robin's room. Meeting him, and noticing he changed back into his uniform as well, they walked down to the library together. Alfred met them there and opened the passage down to bat cave, closing it behind them.

Entering the vast, gloomy cavern, they walked across the industrial tiled floor and down a staircase, leading to a central platform in the middle, where Batman sat at a large behemoth of a computer, waiting for them. Batman rose, extending his hand to Robin as he approached.

"Welcome back…let's hope this goes better than last time," Batman said.

"It will, I've gotten more experience, and we have another partner now. Thanks for helping with this," Robin said, shaking Batman's hand. They nodded to one another and turned to Raven.

"I've pulled up my archive detailing symbols, Robin said you have an idea of what it looks like?" Batman asked.

"I saw it briefly, but I couldn't tell you what it looked like exactly unless I saw it again" Raven said.

"Look through these," Batman said, directing her to the computer.

"This…might take a while," Robin said, noticing the number of files to go through.

"Maybe not, the symbol seemed familiar to me. I really felt like I should know it. If we looked through ancient symbols or those associated with criminal factions it might not be such a long search," Raven said, looking at the screen as Batman sat down in his chair.

"If you're sure," Batman said, applying the appropriate filters.

"So, Raven-," Robin started.

"Don't distract her," Batman said.

"Wh-…You haven't changed," Robin said.

"You have," Batman said.

"Maybe."

"Definitely."

"I just got here, how do you know how much I've changed already?"

"Relax, it's a positive change I see, not a negative one."

"So, what is it?"

"You've grown up."

"I hope I have, but why do you say that?" Robin asked.

"Before you left my side, you were rash, quick to fight, and resisted patience. How you spoke over the communicator to me, how you've handled coming back, and who you've brought with you, has said a lot," Batman said.

"A little distracted, here," Raven said, still looking at symbols as they came up on the screen.

"Sorry," Robin said.

At the tower, Cyborg sat next to Starfire, watching Terra and Beast Boy on the monitors. Neither Terra nor Beast Boy had showed any sign of getting better, and he was unsure of what to do. It didn't help that Starfire had been essentially useless the entire day, going on and on about Robin. Despite his attempts to calm her down, she wouldn't focus on anything else, and it made him concerned about her. Was she as unbalanced as Terra and Beast Boy now? Should he confront her about it and put her in the interrogation room too? That would leave only him to run the tower and monitor the city.

"He did not even say 'good bye' to me…" Starfire said.

"Star, you've said that a million times, just forget it for now. If you don't stop, you might end up like BB or Terra," Cyborg said.

"Cyborg, I am aware of what is going on, I am just upset," Starfire said.

"I KNOW. You've said that a lot, too, but won't stop," Cyborg said, getting frustrated.

"Would you like me to leave you alone? Just like-," Starfire started.

"Star, don't even. If you say 'Robin' one more time, I swear…" Cyborg said.

"I am sorry, but I am very irritated," Starfire said.

"Yeah, and I'm not? Please stop talking about them, Star, we have enough to worry about with Terra and BB," Cyborg said.

"Perhaps you are right," Starfire said.

Even though she said she would put aside her feelings, Starfire continued to dwell on Robin. What should she do? Just talking wasn't enough. She decided she would leave the tower later and go to Robin.

"Star?" Cyborg asked.

"Hmm?" Starfire asked.

"Will you or not? I mean, I can do it, I just think you should get out and get some fresh air," Cyborg said.

"Do what?" she asked.

"Pick up some pizza for dinner, didn't you hear me?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, I can do that," she said.

"Okay. Go ahead, I'll be here," he said.

Not going to be anyplace else for a while, Cyborg thought as Starfire left. Was he the only one who was still sane? While he still couldn't tell if Starfire was affected by the unknown mental force, he knew she wasn't acting like herself. Although, having two friends leave and another two rendered unrecognizable would make anyone act differently. Even he wasn't behaving like he used to and part of that was because he had just been put in charge of the Titans. He was already starting to get used to it. Starfire would adjust… one way or another.

A few hours of sifting through symbol after symbol, Raven was starting to doubt her instincts. There had been several symbols that had looked similar to the one they sought, but each had something 'off' about it. Time had passed slowly, they had eaten their dinner in front of the computer, and they were starting to get tired. It was already past midnight.

"Are you sure you know what it looks like?" Robin asked.

"Yes, I just need to see it again," Raven said.

"I don't know if that actually makes sense," he said.

"Well-. Hold it, that's it," she said, pointing to the screen. Batman pressed a few buttons on his keyboard and the details of the symbol's origin came up.

"This symbol represents the mark of Wraih, which is the calling card of Wraih's influence; Wraih was spawned of Trigon's power, and called the spirit of the mind. Some actually referred to Wraih as the demon of madness, but it's unclear if Wraih was completely malevolent. Wraih assisted Trigon's cult for a while before causing a revolt, when it failed, Wraih fled in fear of Trigon's wrath. Although formless, Wraih has manifested as a swirling black mist around a projected cloaked figure and a female voice. Wraih has the ability to alter minds, causing not only the revolt to occur, but several of Trigon's more extreme ideas to come to fruition; such as the idea of having a daughter with a link to Trigon, which ultimately brought about Trigon's demise," Batman explained, reading off the screen.

"Shadow… Damn it…" Raven said.

"What?" Batman asked.

Frowning first at Raven, who looked away as he did so, Robin then turned to Batman.

"We know where to find Wraih, she is hiding in a tomb deep in a forest on the outskirts of Jump City, calling herself 'Shadow,'" Robin said.

"How did you learn that?" Batman asked.

"Raven found the location of some mentor of her mothers who she thought could help fix her mind. That mentor is a swirling black misted cloaked figure with a female voice and, obviously, has powers to affect the mind," Robin said.

"I see. I'll tell you both what more I find out," Batman said, getting up from his chair.

"Wait, we're not going with you?" Robin asked.

"No. Wraih could be able to influence you two to turn against me," Batman said.

"So, we're staying here and sitting on our hands? Great plan," Raven said.

"Don't sit on your hands, monitor Gotham while I'm gone," Batman said.

"Right," Robin said reluctantly.

"'Right'? This isn't some idiot with a gun we're talking about. If you want to go up against someone with that kind of power, you need some on your side as well," Raven said.

"I don't expect to win, or even fight, just to learn something to help us," Batman said.

"Wraih doesn't have to tell you anything, she can also just decide to mess with your mind, too," Raven said.

"He knows what he's doing," Robin said.

"Are you-," Raven started, turning to Robin.

"Enough. I'm going, you two are staying here, end of discussion," Batman said.

(I'm sorry for the choppy, short chapter; I've been a bit under the weather, but I'm improving – I hope. The next chapter will be up in 2 weeks, it's called 'Intent of the Shadow' and I hope I will be well enough to give it the detail and attention it deserves. ~RavensMind~)


	18. Intent of the Shadow

**Chapter 18: Intent of the Shadow**

"Hmm…I expected the girl…You may want to return to where you came from, for your own sake," Shadow said, her voice echoing through the chamber.

After getting the coordinates from Robin, Batman had made his way to Jump City, and found the tomb that housed Shadow. Cautiously entering the structure, Batman took care to not alert Wraih, but it seemed that Wraih had been expecting Raven. He could hear Wraih, but he did not see her anywhere.

"I'm not leaving without answers," Batman said.

"Pity, I've no extra room, nor the desire for you to live here," Shadow said.

"Then tell me why you've made the Titans lose their minds," Batman said.

"The answers are not for YOU. It doesn't affect YOU. And their minds are not lost. Their grasp of reality has been…altered, but not irreparably. In fact, they do not need my cooperation to assist them, but what they may need...is not for you to know. They have to figure it out for themselves," Shadow said.

"You won't twist my mind, Wraih, so don't try to confuse me," he said.

"Ah, now there it is…Wriah…I have not been called that in some time. Then, you told the girl, as well as the boy. At least future events will not need to be as complex, this way," Shadow said.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Again, it is not for your ears, but it is for someone's," Wraih said.

"Tell me," he said.

"Or?" Wraih asked, beginning to laugh.

"Trigon has been defeated, so I know you can fall as well – I'll end you," he said.

"Defeated? Yes. Ended? No… If you care about your world at all, you will cease your antagonism, or I will leave you all to perish without my help," she said.

"Perish?" he asked.

"Yes… The girl is still here and without my help she will be under her father's control once more," she said.

"How does your help involve driving her friends insane?" he said.

"As I said, the answers are for her alone," she said.

"Why do you care about her at all?" he asked.

"I tire of these questions…Either leave, or I will…And I will not be so easy to discover," she said.

"I'm not leaving," he said.

"How unfortunate. I will say this, her mind was never broken and...if she had stayed with her "friends" any longer, what she was suffering from would have gotten far worse. That was the intention of her father's influence, which has sewed itself into the others quite nicely. The only thing you have to do...the only thing you are able to do...is to tell Robin and Raven what I have told you. Now, leave me, and get back to your real investigation...ask Raven what she remembers of the cultists, what she recalls shall lead you to the actual enemy," she said.

"But you do admit that you did something to the other Titans," he said.

"Yes. Only the Titans can save themselves, that is a well-tested theory, especially as of late... I interfered to prevent a greater cruelty with a much smaller one, if I did nothing - they would have died. The girl has seen this before, she will endure it as she did before, protected by the mind of another...all that's left is to test that mind," she said.

"What does that mean?" Batman asked.

"Return to them. The longer you distract me, the more dangerous the situation becomes. Let me dismantle Trigon's power, and you...talk to Raven," Wraih said.

As Wraih finished speaking, a flash of violet smoke emitted from the center of the room and seemed to wrap around Batman. The smoke swiftly carried him out of the tomb and onto the grass, dropping him, and then returning inside - a large slab of stone sliding rapidly behind it.

Analyzing what he had heard, Batman couldn't tell if Wraih was being completely dishonest. What she had said was more cryptic than anything else, which meant she was hiding plenty, could be helpful - but wanted to protect herself from something. That something had to be Trigon. To somehow protect herself, she aided Raven - which either meant that Raven was in danger of being possessed or Wraih needed Raven for something. Neither was good news. There was still the matter of the other Titans, who apparently needed to save themselves. That could mean that thinking in a particular way or maybe about a certain thing, would repair their minds. Or a reaction to some severe physical event like pain. There is no test, no way to get them to believe anyone who told them to do one, apparently, and... no answer.

He wasn't sure whether to go back to Gotham or just go to Titans Tower to help the others and contact Robin and Raven from there. It was probably the best course of action. If what Wraih said was true, it would be a waste of time, but he didn't want to take any chances. He contacted the tower, Cyborg answered.

"This is a secure channel, whoever you are, you had better have a reason fo-," Cyborg started.

"I'm Robin and Raven's partner. I have some information that could help the other Titans stop being insane," Batman said.

"Ok... what is that information?" Cyborg asked.

"Not over the comm., I'll be over in a few minutes, I need to contact Robin and Raven when I get there as well, I assume you still have the ability to connect to them from the tower," Batman said.

"We do, but...how can you prove you are who you say you are to me?" Cyborg asked.

"Robin and Raven both left with a couple of bags, Robin left some of his things behind because he has duplicates here, and I had most of Raven's things brought to Gotham some time before they left the tower. If what I told you that I know isn't proof enough, you can call Robin," Batman said.

"No, I believe you... Even if I didn't, I'd let you in at this point. I'm running out of ideas to help them - if you blew up half the city and you said you had an answer, I'd still let you in..." Cyborg said.

"I will be there," Batman said, ending the communication.

Arriving at the tower, Batman met Cyborg in the living room. Batman was surprised that he was the only one there to meet. Robin had said that Cyborg and Starfire were watching Terra and Cyborg. Where was Starfire? Maybe she was now as crazy as the others, as well.

"You make Robin look...normal," Cyborg said.

"We don't have time for jokes. Where's Starfire?" Batman asked.

"She said she was going to the mall. She's been a little obsessed about Robin leaving, she needs some time to herself," Cyborg said.

"As long as she isn't acting like the others. I learned from a suspect that your team has to save themselves...and I think that means that if they think in a specific way, or about a certain thing, then their minds will return to normal," Batman said.

"How do we know what that is, though?" Cyborg asked.

"We don't. We'll just have to try to get them to whatever point they need to reach," Batman said.

"So, you're going to help us with this? Shouldn't you be going after whoever did this?" Cyborg asked.

"No, not until I learn more about them. Get Robin and Raven on the comm.," Batman said.

"Alright," Cyborg said.

(I realize this is a very short chapter, my classes decided to synchronize their annoyance with multiple large assignments. I'm dealing, :). The next two chapters are planned to be quite a bit larger. Thanks for the patience. Next chapter in 2 weeks or so. ~RavensMind~)


	19. The Rift

**Chapter 19: The Rift**

This is not happening. Robin's fine, I know he's fine. I'm fine, Batman is wrong – I'm not insane. Why do we have to stay here? It's almost as pointless as time out. Scratch that, just as pointless. Batman is bent on keeping us out of this – it's annoying, I need to make this right. Well, can't do much about it now, especially since Robin hasn't budged since Batman told him to stay put. Shadow, or Wraih, lied…why? Wraih clearly had a plan, but the book she gave me is useful. Hmm… He hasn't said a word, or even looked at me for an hour. I doubt that's a good sign…

"Hey," Raven said, looking over to Robin.

Robin didn't say anything; he kept staring at the screen, sitting in Batman's chair.

"Robin," she said.

"I'm not talking to you…at least I think I'm not. I'm not sure. Maybe I'm imagining this," Robin said, mimicking the monotone voice Raven frequented.

"Why aren't you speaking to me?" she asked.

"I listened to you, I trusted you, and now we may be going insane like Terra or Beast Boy," he said.

"So, you think it was easy for me to trust you? I shared plenty with you, and you wouldn't tell me anything until I threatened to stall our relationship. Even now, you know more about me than I know about you," she said.

"Good, then you won't be able to ruin anything else," he said.

"And so your answer is to shut me out? You can't, even if you wanted to…" she said.

"I know…and I hate that I know. The others always just assumed you were shy, protecting yourself from your powers, and…different. But that isn't it…you're much more dangerous than any of us believed. I wanted to think otherwise, but…" he started, still staring at the screen.

"Don't," she said, "you know how I feel…"

"So, I shouldn't tell you what I think? What I know? You're poison – brought here to spread Trigon's power over everyone…You made us worse for being with you…You tied me to you…and I can't escape without risking my life. Maybe I will…you're not worth this," he said.

"Don't put this on me, you knew what I was – now we're in this together, as long as you stay with me…and…I didn't ask for this," she said, feeling a wave of sorrow wash over her.

"But that's it – you don't, so you have to reach out for help, which makes us all a target just for helping you…talking to you…liking you…and loving you… And that makes us miserable…maybe insanity is better," he said.

"After everything I've done with or for you and our friends… after facing the end…you're going to call me an enemy, and what, leave me to die?" she asked.

"You would deserve it – Rachel," he said.

"No…I…I couldn't stop it," she said through forming tears, "I had no control of myself…no choice."

"Now I don't have one. I should never have listened to you…I'm going to go and wait for the insanity to set in – alone," he said, getting out of the chair and walking away, heading out of the cave while Raven remained, crying into her hands.

Where was everyone? No one had bothered Terra for hours. Hopefully, they were questioning Raven about killing Beast Boy. Nothing was more pressing in her mind, nothing caused the same amount of feeling, and nothing was the same. What she saw was what she thought. If she thought about Raven killing Beast Boy with fire, that's what appeared before her in the interrogation room. Watching Raven force a ball of red flame from her hands, Terra could see it all happen again and again in slow motion. The worst part was the pain that she felt as she watched Beast Boy die repeatedly.

Terra hadn't remembered an event that vividly before, it was weird. She wondered why Cyborg had insisted that he was Robin, and why he didn't seem to think Beast Boy had died. It was perfectly clear to her, why didn't he see? Maybe Cyborg's as insane as Beast Boy was… He was insane enough to attack a friend, after ignoring Terra. He didn't seem to care… Why did she? Raven was just reacting to him, as she had reacted to him. What if he was upset with both Raven and Terra? If he's dead…maybe Raven feels as bad as she does, and if he's not, then Raven did what she had to, and Beast Boy had some more explaining to do. It's not her fault… Looking around the room, Terra noticed Beast Boy on a bed in the corner. Had he been there the whole time? She had looked over there plenty of times and hadn't seen him.

"Beast Boy?" Terra asked.

"Yeah. What do you want?" Beast Boy asked.

"You're sane?" she asked.

"Guess so, weird, huh?" he said.

"For how long?" she asked.

"I don't know…maybe a while after Raven laid me out," he said.

"Why did you attack her this time?" she asked.

"Trigon threatened me," he said.

"What? Trigon's gone," she said.

"I guess not," he said.

"So how are you sane now?" she asked.

"Uh…maybe something shut him out…" he said.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," he said.

The door to the interrogation room opened and Cyborg walked in with a file folder, closing the door behind him, he walked over and sat across from Terra at the table in the center of the room.

"Hey Terra… Look, I'm not going to talk for an hour before I tell you this time – Beast Boy is alive," Cyborg said.

"I know, Cyborg, he's in the bed in the corner. Where's Robin? We have to talk about something," Terra said.

"You're…back? Great! Robin and Raven left this morning to stay with a friend of Robin's," Cyborg said.

"For how long?" she asked.

"Maybe forever," he said.

"Trigon is behind this insanity stuff," she said.

"Yeah, I know," he said.

"How?" she asked.

"Robin's friend figured it out. What we couldn't figure out was how to get you back to normal," he said.

"Will it happen again?" she asked.

"Nope. Robin's friend is going to take care of that, Raven told him about this cult following that Trigon has, and where they might be," he said.

"Why did Trigon pick us instead of Raven?" she asked.

"Probably because we helped her and he wants her supporters gone so he doesn't have to deal with us later…Or something like that, Robin's friend gave me a lot of information," he said.

"Beast Boy is sane again, too," Terra said.

"Sane?" Cyborg asked.

"Or…back to his usual self," Terra said.

"Good. This should be over soon, but for now, we're staying put," Cyborg said.

"We're not going to go and get the cult?" she asked.

"No. Robin's friend is going to deal with them – he said that there was a good chance that we were fine, but he didn't want to risk us going insane while dealing with Trigon's cult," he said.

"Okay…So, what are we going to do?" she asked.

"Get back to normal…After I find Star. Stay here, alright?" he said.

"Sure, Cy," she said.

"I'll be back soon…maybe," he said, leaving the file on the table in front of Terra as he got up.

"What's this?" she asked.

"It's from Robin's friend, just some info on what's been going on," he said.

"Thanks," she said, watching Cyborg walk out of the room and close the door behind him.

"Cy's the boss? Guess I'm his second in command, cool," Beast Boy said.

"No, I am," Terra said.

"Seriously?" he asked.

"Um, yeah, why's that surprising?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

"It's not- um…Are we okay?" he asked.

"We're sane and we know it, so," she started.

"No, I mean are you and I ok?" he asked.

"Oh…I…don't think so…" she said.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you haven't done anything to show me you give a damn," she said, opening the file.

"I wanted to hurt Raven because I thought she told you to dump me," he said.

"That shows her that you care, it doesn't show me that you care," she said.

"What do I have to do?" he asked.

"You didn't really ask that, did you?" she asked.

"What?" he asked.

"No clue…what a surprise," she said, reading.

"You're not going to say anything?" he asked.

"No, I'm not," she said.

"That's stupid," he said.

"It's very 'you', then," she said.

"Terra-," he began.

"Before this insanity started, I said I wanted a break, and…that hasn't changed," she said.

Starfire flew through the night sky, determined to reach Gotham before the morning. She felt robbed, betrayed, and…hurt. Accepting what Robin had said wasn't something she was prepared to do, and she didn't believe him. Despite his words, she felt that he had lied to get her to leave him alone. It didn't matter to her what Raven said, because Raven was a part of Robin's lie to her. What she knew of Robin convinced her that he would never leave. They were closer than any of the others, even though he shared a bond with Raven, he had helped her understand Earth – there was something deep between them. She thought Robin left so that she would go to him, and learn something more – and Raven had agreed to help him with his plan.

There was more to what he had said; he had tried to get her to find things out for herself by doing something, and then asking her why she thought he had done it. Robin had told her that Raven suggested that idea, when he had started doing that a couple years ago. She didn't consider that she was wrong, because she believed that no one else would either.

(My classes aren't piling me with as much work anymore and I'm starting to get back into the flow of the story. The next chapter is shaping up to be pretty good, if I am any judge. It will be long, it will be deep, and it will be…up in 2 weeks. :) As always, thanks for reading and all input. ~RavensMind~)


	20. Waking Nightmare

(Sorry for the late update, the holiday week was a busy one. Luckily, it didn't spoil my writing in the slightest - I hope you enjoy the longer chapter, and I hope the past few days were as fun for you as it was for me. :) ~RavensMind~)

**Chapter 20: Waking Nightmare**

Walking out the front door of Wayne Manor, Robin made his way across the front lawn. He felt that he needed a long walk, to think, and maybe relax. Was this real? Or was he still sitting in the chair across from Raven? He wasn't sure, but he pressed on – if it wasn't real, he was going to try and relax in the illusion if he could. Robin wondered how much had been true, how long had he been insane, if he really was? Maybe he hadn't actually wanted to be with Raven at all. The feelings might not have been real…and he was pushed away from his team on the whim of some demon.

As Robin moved further away across the grounds, he suddenly felt a sharp stabbing pain in his legs and head. Stopping, he slowly lowered himself to the grass, sitting with his legs stretched out. The world around him faded from view. What he saw now was Wraih's symbol burning in the center of some blackness. Looking around, he saw only that blackness, and the symbol moved as he moved his eyes or head.

"Now that I have your attention…" Wraih began, her voice emanating from the symbol.

"What do you want? I'm in enough trouble because of you," Robin said.

"Are you truly this weak, or do you honestly desire your world to end? You would leave us nothing because of some nonsense that you believe?" she asked.

"You-," he began.

"No. I did nothing to your mind beyond the ritual. You acted as I suspected you might, believing in a phantom insanity and acting out – wandering beyond the safety of your connection to Raven, allowing this intrusion into your mind," she said.

"Do you expect me to believe you, much less listen? You're the 'demon of madness' aren't you?" he asked. When he finished the question, he felt a stunning pain in his gut, which faded.

"Utter that title again, and that will be more painful. Wrong. Those are Trigon's words, his…branding... I caused the revolt against Trigon in an effort to stop him, to prevent madness. If anything, I should be associated with order…but this is not about me. This is about restoring order once more," she said.

"How does messing with my mind restore order?" he asked.

"The path you are choosing to walk is destructive, false, and exactly the one Trigon wants you to take. He wants Raven to be alone, weak, and without hope," she said.

"If you're here to help, why didn't you fully fix the minds of the other Titans?" he asked.

"Because they were…threats that had to be dealt with. Any one of them had enough potential to cause her pain, be it physical or mental, and it would have driven her to a deeper isolation," she said.

"But not me?" he asked.

"Correct…Until now. Our enemy has let his weakness fly into our grasp, and I do not intend to allow our asset to degrade. But 'our'…is not permanent. Understand that I would let you all burn in Trigon's fire if it would guarantee her survival – because that…guarantees our survival," she explained.

"So, what exactly did you cause the others to do?" he asked.

"I caused the changeling to attack Raven in the pool, I gave Raven the hint of my symbol in the other girl's eye as a warning, and I gave both of them the means to help themselves… Both had to forgive Raven and they would be sane once again. Every other insane act was caused by Trigon. The alien and the machine were immune to the insanity and my interference. Allowing the insanity to continue helped to make them do what we needed them to, and gave you more time to help Raven make the decisions she needed to," she said.

"Wait, you let Beast Boy hurt her, how does that help her?" he asked.

"As I said: it helped her decide to leave, before any more damage was done. Yes, I manipulated her. I manipulated you, the changeling, the alien, the machine, the other girl, and your old partner as well. Whatever it takes to keep her, and this world, from falling into oblivion…Don't you agree? You would – if you were not acting so incomprehensibly stupid… You were going to leave her side, because you believed the illusion of an illusion. You never truly trusted her, perhaps now you will…" she said.

"Maybe you're right…but that doesn't mean I trust you, especially after what you've done," he said.

"Wisdom at last. But ask yourself just how harmful my manipulations were…Your team's wounds were minor, they will heal. Now Raven will as well, as she should have years ago. Can you find it within yourself to forgive me, or will you obsessively pursue me until time itself breaks? As much as I'd like to leave you on that question…we are not yet finished, because you are not yet convinced that your feelings are true. Let us see if you can find the truth, or continue on your path to the precipice," she said.

"What do I have to do?" he asked.

"Explore, explain, and…The alien is about to land before you, decide for yourself what additional step is needed to deal with her. My interference with your mind ends here, enjoy what future you shape from this moment – live in love, or die in despair. Know that Raven can exist without you; I can tie her to myself instead of you, but she may not be so pleased with it," she said.

The symbol burned up in smoke and it, along with the blackness, dissolved from his vision – replaced by the night sky. Getting up off of the grass, Robin stood up, seeing Starfire walking towards him. "Here we go, why is she here anyway? And what do I have to do?" Robin thought. She smiled at him and moved to hug him, but he backed away from her. She looked tired, determined, and…strangely calm. He figured that during her flight, she would be a wreck in her mind, if she wasn't – why fly here if nothing was wrong?

"Hello Robin, is there something wrong?" Starfire asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing, why are you here?" Robin asked.

"I realized that you and Raven were trying to help me learn that I have to take it upon myself to figure things out, it was a nice lesson, so you can both return to the tower because I have figured it out," Starfire said.

"This…wasn't a test for you Star, this was a decision that Raven and I had made – because we needed to move on, we needed more time to ourselves, and we wanted more. I already told you why we were leaving. Raven told you why we were leaving," he said.

"It really is a nice lesson, but I said that you do not have to keep pretending, or did I get the lesson wrong?" she asked.

"We're not pretending, Starfire, and there is no lesson," he said.

"Maybe it's that I have to not trust so much? Is that the lesson?" she asked.

"There is no lesson!" he said, now in a frustrated and firm tone.

"Perhaps you want me to challenge you," she said.

"No," he said.

"Or, maybe the others need to be with me," she said.

"No," he said, more firmly.

"Or should I?" she started.

"No!For the last time, this is not about what you need, or what I think you need…it isn't about you, period. I want you to stop, I've told you why I left – you need to accept it," he said.

"What? You wouldn't leave, you care-," she said, confused.

"I don't love you. I don't want you here… I want…I need Raven, talking to her makes me feel better – you don't. I'm sick of teaching you every little thing; I want someone I can learn with, someone who won't annoy me when we need to work, and someone who can understand me...that has never been you. I'm not sorry and I know – I love her. Go back to the tower, I need to go in and talk to her," he said, wholeheartedly.

"But I-," she started.

Robin heard a voice on the wind, almost in his ear say: "Explore, explain, and." Finding his will, Robin turned and headed back towards Wayne Manor. Heading across the lawn, he heard Starfire crying behind him. "…exit," he thought he heard again from the air.

"Robin…"she called.

"Go home, Starfire," he answered back, numb to her wailing.

Approaching the door, he reached out and pulled it open. Walking into the main hall, he headed from there towards the bat cave. Going in through the secret entrance, he walked into the cavern and looked around. Raven wasn't anywhere in sight. On the chair she had been sitting in, there was a photo of the two of them. Picking it up, he looked at it closely. He was standing with her on the roof, watching the sunset with his arm around her – their backs to the camera. It had been taken by Cyborg, the day after the fiasco with Trigon and Slade. Studying the sunset in front of them in the photo, he remembered what was said before the photo was taken.

~ "I didn't think I would get to see it again, did you?" Raven had asked.

"Yeah – I knew we would both see it again," Robin had answered.

"You were full of it," she had said.

"Hey, we're here aren't we?" he said.

"We beat some long odds, and you know it," she said.

"No, I don't," he said.

"Sure you don't, all of that worrying beforehand was just practice for a real crisis," she said dryly.

"Well – you bought it," he said, smiling.

"You don't have to hide your relief, or emotions from me; you know I won't use it to embarrass you like the others might," she said.

"Thanks…that means a lot," he said.

"…and thank you," she had said, after a long pause.

"For what?" he asked.

"Not giving up on me, you never had a doubt, not one," she said.

"And I won't," he had said, placing his arm around her, "if you need someone to talk to after all of this, I'm here – Starfire will understand if I spend some time with you."

"…No, she would want to be with you," she had said, sounding as though she regretted saying it.

"She doesn't need me right now," he said.

"But…what do you need?" she asked.

"That's not important right now," he had said.

"Yes, it is…is there something you want to talk to me about?" she asked.

"Later…Can I ask you something though?" he asked.

"Of course," she had said.

"I was wondering if – if you ever thought, um-," he had started to say, interrupted by the flash of Cyborg's camera.

If Cyborg hadn't interrupted them, Robin would have asked Raven about the possibility of a relationship. They never got back to that conversation, another criminal was at large, and it demanded their full attention. The fact that Raven had kept the photo and left it for him, told him that she knew what he had been thinking before they had been interrupted. He turned the photo over and saw that Raven had written him a note. It read: "Robin – I'm sorry for what's happened. I never wanted to hurt you. If you want to talk, please go to your room. I love you – Raven." Taking the photo, Robin left the bat cave, and headed for his room.

Outside, Starfire stood, staring at Wayne Manor, and trying to decide what to do. Something was pleading with her to fly back to the tower, but she didn't believe she could move. What Robin had said struck something in her, shattering it, and prevented her from making a choice. Was this real? Maybe she had gone insane. No, she felt fine. At that moment, a fireball came screaming towards her face. She dropped to the ground and covered her head. When she looked up, she saw a shrouded figure standing over her.

"Ah…so you can move after all," Wraih said.

"Yes – I can. Tell me why you attacked me!" Starfire demanded.

"My, so old – and yet so very young. Do you feel entitled to everything you desire? Perhaps I should act in a similar fashion – but wait, I just did…good reflexes, by the way. Think before you take, what you desire may already have an owner," Wraih said.

"You have not told me why you attacked me!" Starfire said.

"Are you deaf, or merely a fool?" Wraih asked.

"Tell me now!" Starfire said.

"Apparently both, or perhaps I need to use only two-syllable words… I attacked you to teach you," Wraih said.

"Teach me what?" Starfire asked.

"That you will not get what you want because you yell the loudest, talk the most, or ignore the least. You are practically an infant – it is time you stopped thinking like one," Wraih said.

"I do not understand," Starfire said.

"Oh, I am painfully aware of that. Live off of your own ideas for a change; stop relying on others to tell you what you should think. Turn around, go back to your tower, and leave Robin and Raven alone. If you remain and pursue Robin, I shall use every resource I possess to torment you – until you leave, or perish. I promise certain despair for you and it is…avoidable, all you must do is leave," Wraih said.

"I can't," Starfire said.

"Perhaps a preview?"Wraih asked.

The shrouded figure then multiplied and five now stood over Starfire. Slowly, the shroud faded, and Starfire was now looking at Robin, Raven, Terra, Beast Boy, and Cyborg.

"You're selfish," Terra stated.

"You're impossible," Cyborg stated.

"You're annoying," Beast Boy stated.

"You're jealous," Raven stated.

"You're deaf," Robin stated.

"You're a kid," Terra stated.

"You're a nut," Cyborg stated.

"You're an ant," Beast Boy stated.

"You're a moron," Raven stated.

"You're a wound," Robin stated.

"Why are you saying this? I'm not any of those things – I am your friend, you know me," Starfire said, frantically trying to focus.

"You're our problem," Terra stated.

"You're our insanity," Cyborg stated.

"You're our animal," Beast Boy stated.

"You're our tool," Raven stated.

"You're our enemy," Robin stated.

"I am not! Stop this!" Starfire protested.

"You're why I miss," Terra stated.

"You're why I lose," Cyborg stated.

"You're why I hurt," Beast Boy stated.

"You're why I hate," Raven stated.

"You're why I break," Robin stated.

"Quit it! I'm Starfire, I don't need this," Starfire said.

"Are you ready to define yourself and move on from this place? Or shall I continue?" Wraih asked.

"I can't," Starfire said.

"Your call…" Wraih said.

A split second later, Terra, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven disappeared – leaving Robin standing over her.

"You don't know. You never know. You can't learn. You won't resign. You make me want to jump off a cliff. You cause me pain. You want, you don't care. You wish, you don't want others to wish. You want me to bolt myself to you, deny what I want – you are a prison. You can't accept me, so I'll deny you. You won't listen to me, so I won't talk to you. You're a difficult, whiny, needy, childish, little freak who can't understand this planet, or your own brain," Robin said, now standing on her ankle, preventing her movement, and hurting her.

"Robin, no…I-I'm not like that, I can learn, and I listen," Starfire said.

"So prove your assertion," Wraih said.

"I…don't think I can," Starfire said.

"Then, this shall continue," Wraih said.

Another shroud appeared beside Robin and as it faded, Raven came into view, and stood on Starfire'sarm – a spike on the bottom of Raven's shoe dug into Starfire's wrist, drawing blood. The pain was worse than it should have been, somehow amplified.

"Why won't you let us be happy?" Robin asked.

"You like me, I want-," Starfire started.

"Wrong," Raven said, twisting her foot and causing Starfire more pain.

"Why won't you listen?" Robin asked.

"I listen, but I want-," Starfire began again.

"Wrong," Raven said, repeating the motion.

"Why can't Raven and I be together?" Robin asked.

"Because I don't-," Starfire started again.

"Wrong," Raven said, digging further with the spike.

"Why can't I love her?" Robin asked.

"B-…You can…and I can accept that…" Starfire said.

"Progress…have you had enough of this yet, or do you need a more painful lesson?" Wraih asked.

"I...can move, I'll leave, and I accept them," Starfire said.

The shrouds of Robin and Raven dissolved, and Starfire looked to her wrist – which was openly bleeding at a rapid pace. The original shrouded figure appeared once more before her.

"Let that wound, and the subsequent scar remind you of what you have learned. Now, return to your tower, or that will not be the only wound you return with," Wraih threatened.

"Yes…Why did you do all of this?" Starfire asked.

"To assist Raven; it was not for your benefit. In truth, if Robin was not bound to her – and was instead with someone else instead of her, I would not be here, and you would probably not be leaving," Wraih said.

"So, who are you, her mother?" Starfire asked.

"No…not exactly. You would not understand as it involves various rituals and parties you would not be familiar with…it is a rather complicated answer," Wraih said.

"Does she know?" Starfire asked.

"Perhaps… she's just having a difficult time figuring out how something is possible," Wraih said.

"Okay…" Starfire said.

"Leave and remember," Wraih said, her shrouded figure dissolving from sight.

Finding her strength, Starfire flew up into the sky and started her long trip back to the tower. She held her wrist, bleeding the whole way back. There was no thought to turn around, or stop. No doubt, the others would be busy trying to solve the whole insanity problem. She hoped that Terra and Beast Boy would be okay and that things could get back to normal soon.

(The next chapter will be up 2 weeks from the 23rd of November. ~RavensMind~)


	21. Grip of Trigon

(Here's Chapter 21. Read, review, and enjoy! ~RavensMind~)

**Chapter 21: Grip of Trigon**

"No serious crime. Something's wrong with your city," Batman said, turning to Cyborg.

"Yeah, we should really get people to rob more banks and rent more supercharged psychos to deal with," Cyborg said sarcastically, typing.

"There is something suspending their action, like they're waiting for something, or dealing with something else," Batman said.

"And how do you know that?" Cyborg asked.

"I don't – it makes sense," Batman said.

"So, what do you think we should do?" Cyborg asked.

"You're going to get your team in order. I'm going to the location that Raven gave us," Batman said.

"Wait, you're going to need help," Cyborg said.

"I'm not helpless and your team needs to recover," Batman said.

"Fine, maybe we do. Can't find Starfire's signal in the city, she probably- No, there she is, flying back from…I don't know. Hmm, I'll talk to her. Thanks for the help," Cyborg said, turning back from the screen. But when he looked, there was no one there. did he go? Oh well. The team was his concern; he decided to focus on them. Moving away from the screen, he walked out of the living room and headed to the interrogation room.

This is…too predictable, Batman thought, looking at the newly-rebuilt library where Trigon had emerged from beneath years ago. If the cult had rebuilt the place, there had to be a reason. It wasn't a good idea to commit a crime in the same location as a previous, similar crime unless it was somehow necessary. Why rebuild it, though? They could have just as easily built some sort of door on the surface, and just reconstruct the areas beneath the rubble. No signs of activity, either. Of course there wouldn't be, if they were being successful.

"They are waiting for you…" Wraih said, a shrouded figure appearing next to Batman.

"Why rebuild it?" Batman asked.

"The cult requires complete secrecy in order to operate successfully; rebuilding the stricture raises fewer questions than putting something else in its place. Credit is due, though, because they successfully seized control of this city's underworld without the most watchful eyes ever becoming aware of it. They issued their orders and the city bent…the wills of all the major powers acknowledged that they needed to survive. Such a fear they must have felt, to have ignored their own strength without question…they utterly surrenderedto the colossal grip around their lives," Wraih said.

"Your point?" he asked.

"You are about to challenge something that cannot be defeated… And you prepared for this challenge by forbidding your only chances of victory from accompanying you. Trigon has only surrendered to one form of strength – mine. I shall assist you and in exchange, I ask thatyou never pursue me, or attempt to obstruct my plans in the future," she said.

"Fine. But, I need to know – what exactly are they planning?" he asked.

"Dominion of all. They took control of the city's crime to get the Titans to search for conflict elsewhere – within their own ranks. Trigon caused the insanity in order to divide and cripple them, also desiring that Raven would separate from them because of this, and seek isolation. This isolation would have demoralized and weakened her to the point that Trigon could have gained control of her once more without any effort. However, he did not foresee Robin's interference, or mine. His failing is already evident and he does not expect to succeed now, but that does not mean he won't do as much damage as he can…before he is once again barred from this world," she said.

"What stops him from coming back?" he asked.

"Robin, Raven,…and our individual, occasional assistance," she said.

"Ok. I assume you have a plan?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

"Drop it, you're following mine…" he said.

"Your plan will kill you, mine lets you live," she said.

"That doesn't matter and I don't believe you," he said.

"How moronic. Unfortunately for you, I can leave, but your survival is now crucial for the others," she said.

"Ok…what's your plan?" Batman asked.

"Follow me, stay close, and do what I tell you," Wraih said.

Sitting on her bed, Raven removed a nail she had driven into her foot, and began wrapping her foot with medical tape from a first aid kit. It hadn't been the best idea, but she had to do something to distract her from the severe pain in her head she had felt when Robin left the boundary of their connection. Blood had slowly started dripping from her ear when he stepped outside the connection, and the agony had been impossible to dampen. What had been odd was that she didn't sense Robin for a while during and shortly after that, like he had been temporarily removed from the world. It wasn't long before she had sensed him again. She also sensed Starfire for a while, then she didn't, and then she did. Nothing Raven thought of could explain why that might happen. Starfire had left a while ago, and Raven knew that Robin had just gone into his room after coming up from the bat cave. Why had Starfire been here? There was a chance that Robin could have asked Starfire to come, but she didn't know where he could have found the time to do that. She didn't need this now. For a moment, she considered putting the nail back in, but she wouldn't – she was not that stupid. Robin wanted to talk and she wasn't sure she could handle the conversation. Losing anything else, especially a friend so close, she feared, would send her over some edge. Slipping her boot back on, she stood up, slowly shifting her weight – testing the pain. Walking forward, she took off her cloak and threw it onto a chair and headed for her door. Raven felt that she had done as much mental preparation as she could, but still didn't have a handle on her sadness. She was ready to talk to Robin with the full force of her emotions unrestrained – she was unhinged, and he needed to know that. He also needed to know what she did – the future without this connection to him.

Slamming the doors to the library open, Batman swooped in and tackled a cultist. Other cultists turned and looked for the intruder in the dark. A wisp of violet cloud hung over one of them, and they cried out as they uncontrollably shot one of their comrades. The injured cultist fired back in anger, killing the one who shot him. Other cultists headed toward the sound of the shot, trying to maneuver around bookshelves. As they moved, Batman grabbed one and knocked them out, causing the others to halt and listen for another sound.

"We know you're here," one cultist said aloud.

"Give up, and we'll kill you now – instead of our lord's punishment," another said.

The violet cloud swept over the cultist who issued the threat, and he turned his gun on himself – pulling the trigger.

"Lay down your weapons and you will avoid MY punishment," Wraih said, "your lord uses you to bring about your end – I would use you to end him, and then release you."

"And just who are you?" a cultist asked.

"...Isn't your survival more vital to you than your knowledge?" Wraih asked.

"Yeah, but we need to know what we're putting our faith in," the cultist said.

"Shut up. You aren't turning against our lord, and if you do, I'll kill you," another cultist said.

Batman swept down and grabbed the cultist who had spoken and slammed him into a bookcase, knocking him out, before disappearing into the darkness again.

"I say again, lay down your arms, and aid us – or…else," Wraih said.

The remaining six cultists dropped their guns and put their hands up.

"Excellent, now open the door to Trigon's cathedral, or crypt, or sanctuary, or whatever nonsense word he has convinced you to name his place of return," Wraih said.

"Only if the portal-," a cultist started.

"Spare me Trigon's drivel and your lies – you can't stop me, just open the damn door," Wraih said.

The cultist moved over to the wall by a statue and pushed a stone panel concealed by a tapestry. A section of wall in between the statues raised up, revealing a spiral staircase leading downward, dimly lit by torches of blood-red fire.

"Lead the way, cult-fools," Wraih said.

One by one, the cultists descended the stairs, Batman and Wraih followed. The further down they went, the warmer it felt. After what seemed like an hour, it was clear that the torches were not the only source of light. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, the cultists led Batman and Wraih through a long hallway into a vast chamber. In the center was a large, stone hand reaching up from the floor and a winding staircase around it to the palm. There were several pits of fire and pews in front of them. Other cultists sat in the pews, reading, talking, and worshipping. A ring of lava surrounded the base of the hand. Standing in the palm of the hand was another cultist, but this one was wearing red robes, instead of the orange ones the others had on, and a crown of steel. This cultist turned to look at the cultists who had walked in.

"What are you doing down here? Get back up there and wait for the Portal, or her allies," this cultist said, his voice was deep, loud, and seemed to force itself into any open ear.

When Batman entered the room behind the cultists, he looked closer at the cultist who had turned and spoken. This cultist's eyes were absent, the sockets filled instead with the color red. Trigon must be possessing the cultist. "The crown is what we want; it is allowing him to possess the cultist, it is also his current connection to our world. Remove it, give it to me, and I shall take care of the rest," Wraih told manifested once more as a shrouded figure, surrounded by the black mist. The cultist looked directly at Wraih, ignoring Batman.

"It seems your Portal is not coming…" Wraih said.

"I thought I had destroyed you. My failing is due to your success, once more. You are infuriatingly efficient," Trigon said.

"Un-naturally so. I suppose you deserve credit for that…I am curious as to what enrages you more, your failings, or the fact that your failings were brought upon by your few successes,"Wraih said.

"Raven is not a success…not anymore, due to that annoying mortal and your influence. That annoying mortal, brought up by the one standing next to you, is now no longer a mortal – you brought him into our fold and in doing so, cost me my Portal," Trigon said.

"That "Portal" is stronger than you and she has proven it multiple times, perhaps your cult should follow her instead, as you are now even weaker than I. I doubt you can even destroy an anthill without assistance," Wraih said.

"Only for the moment, soon I shall return-," Trigon began.

"Return? Yes, you shall return, to your cage. We are here to shove you in and lock the door behind you," Wraih said.

"'We'? Are you referring to yourself and the cultists you've turned against me? Or are the mentors of my Portal and the irritating former mortal going to protect their pupils? You cannot save them, yourselves, or your world from my power – because as long as your pupils exist, my power exists – the same goes for you, Azar,"Trigon said, "even while corrupted by my power, you still resist and attempt to destroy me, you should have given up."

"I will never let you have your "Portal," Raven is no longer yours, and I will continue to support her just as I did when Angela entrusted me with her,"Wraih said.

"And what of you, mortal, why are you here?" Trigon said, addressing Batman.

"To stop you," Batman said.

"Of have a choice. Leave, or die," Trigon threatened.

"Or…" Batman said, suddenly rushing over and knocking out a cultist who had taken out a gun.

Trigon directed the other cultists to attack Batman as Wraih unleashed a ball of fire at Trigon, who tried to dodge it, but failed as he had neared the edge of the palm. Several cultists pulled out guns and aimed them at Batman. Throwing bat-a-rangs at their wrists, Batman successfully knocked the guns out of their hands and then threw a cultist against the wall and kicked another over a pew. Wraih dissolved into a pitch black cloud and flew up at Trigon, hitting the possessed cultist and knocking him off the palm. Several more cultists rushed at Batman, trying to overwhelm him as one of their comrades was thrown to the floor. Trigon threw fire back at Wraih, who flew to the side, dodging the flames. Batman grappled onto the side of the stone and was pulled away from the cultists before they reached him. Flying down in front of Trigon, Wraih was once again a shrouded figure, and Trigon summoned a wall of fire between them, retreating while Wraih dispelled the fire. The cultists picked up their guns and fired at Batman, as he flew off of the wall and landed on the palm of the hand in the center of the room.

"You cannot fight me as you are," Trigon said to Wraih, as he ran up the steps, almost to the palm.

"No, I cannot, but he can," Wraih said.

As soon as he reached the palm, Trigon was punched in the gut by Batman, who threw him onto the stone and stood on his back. Wraih turned to the cultists and held up a hand, a wave of energy blasted forward, stunning them. Pinning Trigon to the stone and removing the steel crown, which proceeded to glow red as it was removed from the cultist's head, Batman threw it down to Wraih. Catching it, Wraih carried it over to the stunned cultists.

"Which of you made this?" Wraih asked, holding the crown in front of them. When no one answered, Wraih sent another wave of energy from her free hand, which made them all double over in agony for a few moments.

"Answer me, or that pain will be worse," Wraih said.

"I made it…I was assured that I would be rewarded," a cultist said, stepping forward.

"Fool. Everything ends when our world ends, including you. Trigon would not have honored the bargain…but I will. Come forth, and accept your reward…" Wraih said.

Cautiously, the cultist approached Wraih, who held the crown out before her with both hands. When the cultist was a few feet from Wraih, she motioned for him to kneel. Batman walked down from the palm and came over with the formerly possessed, now unconscious cultist thrown over his shoulder.

"For allowing Trigon to once again be present in this world, for bringing about the torment of several, for causing many untold fear, for assisting in the attempted destruction of all – I gift you with this crown of despair. May this crown rest upon your head for the remainder of your life – which shall not be longer than several moments, if you are fortunate… If there is anyone present who would like to appeal for his survival, speak now," Wraih said.

"He doesn't need to die," Batman said.

"If you do not allow me to kill him, then this threat will remain," Wraih said.

"How does killing him stop Trigon?" Batman asked.

"I was about to show you," Wraih said.

"…Do what you need to," Batman said.

"Really? From what I understand, you never let anyone die," Wraih said.

"If letting him live means that the world will end, I can make an exception," Batman said.

"Very well," Wraih said.

Placing the crown on the cultist's head, Wraih then dragged him over to the base of the stone fist and shoved him into the lava head-first. The lava melted the crown to the cultist's head, and then proceeded to melt the cultist's bodyas Wraih continued to lower him in.

"How did that help?" Batman asked.

"It takes a few minutes for Trigon to gain full control of whoever wears the crown, but as soon as it is worn, Trigon is attached to the soul of whoever put it on," Wraih explained, turning to Batman as the last inch of the cultist melted.

"So, Trigon is gone?" Batman asked.

"Not permanently…however, he has been weakened significantly. All I did was eliminate the power that he put into that crown, and close him off from this world once again," Wraih said.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Do what you will with these fools, and then…return to your life. Watch over Robin and Raven as well," she said.

"And you?" he asked.

"I will return to my isolation," she said.

(There are at most 3 chapters left, I've finished drafting the next one, and I'm starting on the chapter after that one. Now, that could actually be the last chapter – it depends on if I feel there is enough to leave the possibility of a sequel or continuation open. If I think the story could go on, I will leave some clues or something in that last chapter – if I don't, then I may write some sort of epilogue. At the moment, I don't feel the will to immediately start writing/working on another story after this one finishes. If any of you feel strongly one way or another, you can either say so in a review of this chapter, or pm me. Next chapter should be up in two weeks (the 21st of Dec). ~RavensMind~)


	22. Truth and Trust

(Thought I'd update a little sooner, enjoy, and happy holidays! ~RavensMind~)

**Chapter 22: Truth and Trust**

Pacing in his room, Robin thought of what he wanted to say. The problem was that he didn't know how Raven would act when she walked in. If she acted angrily, he could handle it, or if she hid her emotions to discuss things he could deal with it. He could go from there, but it definitely would take some time before he found what he wanted to say. Where was she? Did she want to make him wait? Maybe she didn't know what to say either. That was a stretch, she always had some insight. Hearing the door open, he stopped pacing and faced the doorway. Raven stood in her leotard, one hand still on the door handle. Robin looked at her face, expecting to see her usual indifferent expression, or some sign of anger, but instead – she looked hurt. Closing the door behind her, Raven stepped into his room, and walked past him to sit on his bed. He turned to her, still standing, and noticed a streak of dried blood that ran from her left ear to her neck. Taking off his mask, Robin walked closer to her.

"What happened there?" Robin asked, indicating her ear.

"You moved too far away from me…it hurt," Raven said, not looking at him.

"Oh, sorry," he said, looking down.

"No, I'm sorry…I can't control everything, sometimes…Sometimes I let myself open up and…other people get hurt or dragged along with me and I didn't want you to feel trapped in- sorry…I thought I could do this," Raven said, holding back tears, "give me a minute…"

"You're apologizing to me?" Robin asked, surprised.

"Just…let me get this out first," Raven said.

"You don't need to-," he started.

"Yes, I do… I want to control my emotions, I want to be mad at you, but that wouldn't be me. This is how I feel… You said I was ruining the people around me, you're right – I thought if I died, it would help, but I can't do that, so maybe I can just live by myself… There is a way I can undo the ritual, I found the spell in the book Wraih gave me. You don't deserve any of this… I'm sorry I gave into my feelings for you. I just…knew what would happen when the rest of you were gone – I would be completely alone. I didn't want…" she said, trying to stop tearing up, "why do I keep doing this? I should be able to hold back tears or...anything, it wasn't like this before..."

"Maybe I'm different to you, or you trust me more - you didn't used to... I feel so much worse about all of this now," he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I didn't trust you fully, even after we left the tower. And...I wasn't ready to be honest with you. From what I learned about you over the years, I...explained to the others that we needed to avoid getting attached to you - and how we might have to deal with you if you..." he said, avoiding looking into her eyes.

"Perfect. After all of your shit to me about not giving up on myself, pushing me to deal with any little problem I had, and getting me to socialize more...You didn't believe I could ultimately succeed, and separate from my father's plan...And you all just watched and waited for any sign, so you could get rid of me. No wonder my father's mind games worked so damn well, you were already suspicious of me - it wouldn't take much to push that to paranoia..." she said, feeling more hurt.

"I'm sorry...I didn't know what would happen...but, I do now. No matter what your father, or some criminal, some idiot, or even I, might do - you'll survive it. From what we've been dealing with, I believe that there's more between us than I can see," he said.

"Now you say that? That's perfect timing. Where was this insight hours ago when you needed it? And why was Starfire here? Checking your options?" she asked.

"Starfire still didn't accept the fact that I had left for good, she was trying-," he started.

"To ruin what little hope I had left, because I'm such a lost cause? She's-," she started.

"An idiot," he said.

"...You've never called her that - even after you two stopped going out. Are you trying to convince me that she doesn't mean anything to you?" she asked.

"Don't do that. You're pretending to be jealous so it's easier to be mad at me. This isn't you," he said.

"And you know what I am?" she asked.

"Stop trying to fight and talk to me," he said.

"I would, but...I don't want to feel like this anymore," she said, tearing up again.

"Hey," Robin said, sitting down beside Raven on the bed and putting his arm around her, "I'm so sorry about what I said to you earlier...I wasn't thinking straight...I didn't mean it."

"Some-...I shouldn't be acting like this...I should be-," she said.

"In your room, right? Well, I should be waiting in front of some monitors for Batman to respond...but I'm not. We've changed..." he said.

"Have we? No. Some measure of trust is building. What I can't tell is if the strengthened bond is causing it, or if it is just us. Either way, you meant part of what you had said," she said.

"No, I was wrong, and I knew it... I had no idea it would hurt you like this," he said.

"It's not your fault, if my mind had been stronger, I could have dealt with it..." she said.

"No. It was my fault, if I hadn't said it - you wouldn't have had to deal with it...I'm sorry for what I said, and I'm sorry for not trusting you - I'm going to change that. And...I'll get it if you're still upset with me, but I want to stay with you tonight - so I'll know you're okay," he said.

"Don't be an idiot, of course you can stay," she said.

"I thought you'd want me to leave you alone," he said, confused.

"I need you right now...and you need me...apparently being alone won't help either of us," she said.

"Aren't you still upset?" he asked.

"Umm...no. I feel drained, and...sad, but I'm not angry," she said.

"You should be," he said.

"Maybe I should...but I don't want to feel angry," she said.

"That's...smart," he said.

"Yeah...but somehow, I'm so 'smart' right now that I can't convince myself to deny my emotions," she said.

"No, that's why you're smart. You're not yelling at me, because you aren't mad - you feel sad, so you're talking with me...and it helps both of us," he said.

"You sound like you want to talk about something specific," Raven said, looking at him.

" That picture you left for me... why did you keep it?" Robin asked, meeting her gaze.

"Well...You helped me so much during the entire mess with my father and that was a... moment for us," she said.

"So, do you remember what we were talking about when it was taken?" he asked.

"...If I didn't, do you think I would have held onto it for this long?" she asked.

"Right...I never got to ask you that question. Cyborg interrupted us by taking the picture, you went back inside, and then we had to stop some criminal. We were distracted for a while, before I even remembered...but it seemed like you tried to avoid me... Did you know what I wanted to ask?" he asked.

"Not fully...I only knew what you were feeling, so I guessed. I didn't want to bring it up because if I was wrong, or right...It might not have gone well for us. But now...I want to know..." she said.

"I would have asked you if you had ever thought about the two of us, together," he said.

"Oh..." she said.

"What would you have said?" he asked.

"Hmm...I'm fairly sure I would have said yes to that, but...I don't think we could have had the rest of that conversation," she said.

"Why not?" he asked.

"You were still with Starfire, I wouldn't have wanted to get in the middle of that, and I think you knew I would say something similar to that...So why did you even try to ask that question?" she asked.

"I was curious..." he said.

"No, that's not all...Because not long after those few distractions you mentioned, you talked to me...about problems you were having with Starfire. I gave you some advice...and you two started fighting a lot. Were you thinking about being with me while you were fighting with her?" she asked.

"Maybe..." he said.

"And you never told me, after I had said you could always be honest with me. We could have dealt with it or...acted on it earlier," she said.

"I didn't know how you would act...I didn't want you to avoid me again," he said.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because when we spent time together, I felt like I could relax...because someone was actually listening, and helping me for once. You cared more than Starfire, you always gave me your attention. I didn't need to explain 'how people work' to you, I didn't have to tell you what I needed you to do... I also learned what you needed. After I knew what that was...I guess I decided that I had to give it to you, because you were...more than a friend to me," he explained.

"You...needed to tell me that a long time ago," Raven said.

"I know, I was an idiot; I didn't know how much I really cared about you," Robin said.

"But. You still don't fully trust me," she said.

"It's...just not what I was taught to do...and it will take a while to put it aside...even for you. I didn't even take my mask off for Starfire...And...I just want you to know that I will do whatever it takes to convince you that I trust you," he said.

"That means a lot to me...thank you, Robin," she said.

"Anything for you," he said, smiling at her.

"You don't have to do that," she said.

"Do what?" he asked.

"Say any of that kind of disingenuous...even describing it makes me want to puke," she said.

"You didn't have a problem with me saying anything else like that before," he said.

"It wasn't as noticeable," she said.

"So, what should I have said?" he asked.

"Um...'you're welcome'?" she asked.

"Are you trying to pick a fight again?" he asked.

"No, I'm trying to get you to be honest with me," she said.

"What about you? You know as well as I do that you wouldn't have said 'yes' to the question I wanted to ask you when that picture was taken," he said.

"Shut up, you can't know that," she said.

"...You would have kissed me," he said.

"How...could you know that?" she asked, surprised.

"I actually heard some of your thoughts then...that's another reason why I tried to talk to you," he said.

"…We need to trust each other more than we do," she said.

"Yeah. We'll work on it," he said,

"Could you get me something to clean this blood off?" she asked.

"Sure," he said.

Robin got up and went into his bathroom, emerging a few moments later with a damp cloth. Returning to the bed, Robin sat down next to Raven, and she reached over to take the cloth, but he shook his head and said that he would do it. She gently pulled her hair back and held it behind her ear as he wiped away the blood.

"Do you think the others are alright?" Robin asked.

"Yes. They've survived worse, and I believe that Batman knows what he's doing," Raven replied.

"We left at a bad time," he said.

"I know...but we needed to," she said.

"Wraih will have a lot to answer for," he said.

"Don't put this on her, she has helped us a lot...that book she gave me has a lot of useful magic. And without that ritual, I wouldn't have had a future," she said.

"True, but she's not innocent," he said.

"Neither are we," she said.

"Maybe you're right," he said.

"Maybe?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, I don't want to focus on that right now," he said.

"Fair enough...I love it when you get yourself to relax, I don't feel quite as tense," she said.

"You really want to relax?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

Wiping away the last of the blood along Raven's neck, Robin tossed the cloth into the bathroom and kissed her neck.

"...I was wondering when you would get to that," she said, leaning into him.

"I wasn't sure if you'd let me," he said.

She turned and put her arms around him, kissing him back. He put one arm around her and gently pushed her down as he fell with her onto the bed. Sliding his hand along her back, he rested it on her hip, and placed his other hand on the side of her face.

"This isn't exactly...relaxing, though," she said.

"No, but it feels better," he said.

"Yes...and there's something that will be even better," she said.

"You're sure you want to-," he started.

"Trust me. After everything that's happened, I'm starting to feel that we have to..." she said.

"We don't have to...but, I...would like to get a better look at that tattoo," he said, grinning slightly.

"As long as that isn't the only thing you pay attention to," she said, returning his grin.

"Of course not," he said.

"I'm not...familiar with all of this, so if you need-," she began.

"Wait, you think I'm not new to this?" he asked.

"You were with Starfire for a while, I just assumed...I can't believe she didn't," she said.

"I told you I didn't. She just wasn't what I needed...or even really what I wanted. Forget about her. And don't worry...we'll just...see," he said.

"Smart," she said, frowning slightly.

"Relax, Raven, we're not stupid," he said.

"So you have a-?" she started.

"Yeah. Like I said, not stupid. Don't worry, just...feel," he said.

"Oh, that won't be a problem..."she said, a grin returning to her face.

"I love that smile," he said.

"Just the smile?" she asked.

"No...I love you," he said.

"And I love you," she said.

"You don't sound like you do," he teased.

"Can't you just shut up?" Raven asked.

"Why don't you try and make me," Robin said, still teasing.

"No, I want to hear you scream...,"she said with wicked eyes.

"Not before you," he said.

Guiding his hand up her back, Robin reached the zipper and began pulling it down as Raven kissed him. She unclasped his cape with one hand and started un-hooking his belt with the other. When the zipper was down, he then removed her belt as she handed him his; dropping both off the side of the bed. Sitting up together, Robin took off his gloves as Raven started pulling at his shirt. Easing out of their kiss for a moment, Raven opened her eyes and looked at Robin's chest as he pulled off his shirt.

"Stop," she said.

"What is it?" he asked.

"...The inscriptions from the ritual, they've re-appeared," she said, indicating his chest.

Looking down, Robin saw the red markings across his chest, and there were more on his arms. Touching the markings on his chest, he didn't feel them, and they didn't hurt. He returned his gaze to Raven.

"They're on your face…and your hands too. What does this mean?" he asked.

"I'm not sure..." she said.

Getting up, Raven went into the bathroom and turned on the light. Looking at herself in the mirror, she fought off the will to punch it immediately. She hadn't seen the markings since she fought off her father, and they only reminded her of him. Twisting around, so she could see her back in the mirror, she saw more. She didn't feel any different. As she looked, she noticed that they were starting to fade from sight. They were gone within a few moments. Why? She wondered. Robin walked in behind her and put his arms around her.

"You okay?" Robin asked.

"Yeah…I don't know why that happened," Raven said.

"Maybe it means your father isn't near anymore," he said.

"Then, the others were successful…but I don't know if that is what it means," she said.

"I don't see the markings anymore, so can we get back to the bed?" he asked.

"Very subtle," she said dryly.

"Well, there's nothing we can really do about it and you wanted me to be honest, didn't you?" he asked.

"…I guess that's true. Sure, let's get back to the bed," she said.

"You don't sound like you want to," he said to her as she twisted around to face him.

"I'm just a little shaken, it'll pass," she said.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

As he finished the question, she kissed him and put her hands on his hips, and began pulling at the waistline of his pants.

"You're not being very fair," he said.

"Hmm?" she asked.

"You still have this on," he said, indicating her leotard by tugging at it. She let her hands drop to her sides as he slid her leotard off of her. As it fell around her ankles and she stepped out of it, taking off her shoes as well, and he grinned as he looked at her.

"You left the swim suit on underneath?" he asked.

"I thought we'd get to this soon," she said.

"Come here," he said, taking her by the arm and leading her out of the bathroom and back to the bed. Robin gently pushed her onto the bed, but stopped as he noticed her wrapped foot.

"Wait, what happened to your foot?" he asked.

"When you walked out of range…it hurt my mind and…I had to find a way to distract myself from that pain – so, I…did that," she said.

"Does it hurt? You should've said something, we need to-," he started.

"Stop worrying. I can handle it. It doesn't hurt very much and it can wait," she said.

"Does your side hurt at all?" he asked, looking at the bandage on the side of her stomach.

"No," she said, sitting up.

"You need-," Robin started.

"Shut up, and show me you love me," Raven said, grabbing his arm and pulling him down on top of her.

(Thanks for the input on the question of a sequel to this. Since some of you wanted one, I've decided to write it after all. It may not be up for a while after this one is done. There is one more chapter left for 'Mentors', though, and so far it has plenty of hints for the next story. ~RavensMind~)


	23. Forever Is As Long As It Is

(Here it is - the last chapter of this first story. It has been a long time coming – as I actually wrote the first draft of this story over a year ago. Maybe it would make a better script than a novel – more conversations than anything else. Since this is the last chapter for this first story, I'd really appreciate a final review that considers the entire story posted for this chapter. Thanks for reading, reviewing, and just paying attention to the story – it has helped me continue to write. ~RavensMind~)

**Chapter 23: Forever is as Long as it is**

When the sun rose, so did the new leaders of the Titans. Terra walked into the living room, yawning, and noticed Cyborg studying a list of potential team members. Sitting on the couch, Terra stretched out. She was relieved that they didn't have to be on alert for insanity anymore. Batman had come to the tower in the night and informed them of the apprehension of the cult of Trigon. Now, they had to deal with the effects of Robin and Raven's departure, and pick some new recruits to fill their places.

"Find a good pick?" Terra asked.

"Nope. I need more information, just not sure where to find it," Cyborg said.

"Try the computer?" Terra suggested.

"I did, but some files require a password that I don't have," he said.

"So, call Robin and ask him what it is," she said.

"I will," he said.

"Just not now?" she asked.

"No, it can wait, I don't need it right now… Beast Boy okay?" he asked.

"How should I know?" she asked.

"Still mad at him?" he asked.

"I….don't know," she said.

"Starfire okay?" he asked.

"I think so. How about we ask them when they come out here instead of guessing?" she suggested.

"We will. Just think we should talk about it before they get in here," he said.

"Why?" she asked.

"Robin and Raven would. We're the team leaders, we should start acting like it," he said.

"So, should I go and work on my sarcasm while you get obsessive about who Robin's friend put away last night? We don't have to act like them to do this," she said.

"Yeah, that's true," he said.

"Are you going to call, or should I?" she asked.

"You can if you want to, I was just going to give them some time to… wake up," he said.

"I doubt they slept," she said.

"Yeah, me too, which is why I wanted to give them some more time…" he said.

"Oh. Sorry, I don't think I'm even awake yet," she said.

"What's your take on their relationship?" he asked.

"Um…I'm happy for them, I'm glad that Raven found someone she could open up to…I didn't think she would," she said.

"Really? Robin's the one who's lucky, really," he said.

"How?" she asked.

"Well, you said it, he's too obsessed – he needed someone to help him out of that," he said.

"Maybe…Why are we talking about them?" she asked.

"They're our friends, it's big for them, and I didn't get a chance to hear what you thought because you went nuts," he said.

"Oh… I'm gonna go and call them for the password, and ask Robin something…" she said.

"Leave me out of whatever it is you're going to ask him," he said.

"Don't trust me?" Terra asked.

"About this? Nope," Cyborg said.

Climbing out of bed, Starfire rubbed her eyes, grabbed her bathrobe, and made for the bathroom. As she walked down the hall in her robe, she looked down at her bandaged wrist, and felt a pang of agony sound through her body as she touched it. How did she know if what she had thought was her real reaction? Maybe that…thing tricked her, or maybe that thing had been some spell of Raven's. Nothing was resolved, she had just walked away. If she wanted Robin, she should show him…and Raven. Walking into the bathroom, she started getting ready for the day. Taking off the bandage, she noticed that the shape of the wound was odd. It resembled an 'x,' at closer inspection. And as she identified that fact, she heard what sounded like a faint voice in the air say: "Remember, or…it's only strike one…"

Twisting under the sheets, Raven awoke when she brushed up against Robin's leg with her own almost immediately. His arm was wrapped around her chest. She moved her leg again, trying to figure out how she was positioned. Their legs were entwined, so any more movement might wake Robin. Carefully, she reached over and picked up a small mirror that was laying on the stand next to the bed. Looking at herself, she was searching for a sign of the markings – seeing none, she focused on the image itself. Robin was asleep on the pillow behind her; his hair was messy – so was her own. After a few moments, she realized she was staring at him in the mirror and put it down. Raven shifted closer to Robin, trying to curl up against him without waking him. She felt him move his hand along her back and sighed.

"I thought you were asleep," Raven said.

"I was, until you moved," Robin said.

"Sorry," she said.

"Don't be. I wanted to wake up early," he said.

"What for?" she asked.

"So I could lay here with you a little longer," he said.

"That's…sweet… Something you want to say?" she asked.

"Do I have to start this conversation?" he asked.

"No…Shall I?" she asked, freeing her legs from his and turning around to face him.

"If you want to," he said, smiling at her.

"Alright," she said, giving a slight chuckle before moving on, "last night was…everything I hoped it would be, and then some…minus the long conversation beforehand. Not to sound cheesy, but it was fantastic…so are you."

"That's a relief. I was worried that you thought I was tired or something," he said.

"No, you were very…focused and…loving," she said.

"Good. You know, I didn't think it would be that intense," he said.

"Remember what I told you we could do, so everything is more intense? I reached through the bond and did that for us, so, it was more intense," she said.

"Amazing," he said.

"So, it's your turn, I think," she said.

"You were almost too much, where is that energy when we're sparring together?" he asked.

"And was that good, or-?" she started.

"It was great, it made me want to see how long it really lasted, and it kept me wanting more. It was amazing, you're amazing – and I think…we don't have to leave the room for anything today, so…" he said, inching closer to her.

"You know, I have a small problem," she said.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I'm not sure if my tattoo is still there, after last night I'm worried it may have rubbed off…Can you check?" she said coyly.

"Oh, you're just a little…vixen, now, aren't you?" he asked, grinning at her.

Just then, Robin's communicator rang. He looked to Raven and frowned, hoping that she would tell him he didn't have to get up and get it. Raven shook her head, pointed for him to get it, and pulled the sheets up to her chin with her other hand. As he climbed out of bed, she watched him do so, admiring his body, and wished she had told him to ignore it. Robin grabbed his mask and put it on, then picked up the communicator and held it close to his face. Answering it, he saw Terra come into view on the small screen.

"Hey, Terra. How are you doing?" Robin asked.

"Awesome. Hey, we need a password to get some files off of the computer; do you know what it is?" Terra asked.

"Not off the top of my head, I'll have to check my list. Can I get back to you?" Robin asked.

"Cyborg wants to get started on finding some new Titans now, so he…kind of needs it now," Terra said.

As Terra finished speaking, Robin looked to Raven and shrugged, as if to say 'they need it'. She frowned, but grudgingly nodded. He smiled and went into the bathroom with his communicator, careful to not let Terra see Raven or the rest of his body. Grabbing his robe, he slipped it on and started tying it with one hand.

"Wait, you weren't up yet, were you?" Terra asked.

"No," Robin said.

"Sorry. So…was she up?" Terra asked.

"…No," Robin said.

"How are you two doing? And how was she-," Terra started.

"You know I can hang up, right?" Robin asked.

"Okay…Both of you are touchy about that. Still, how are you?" Terra asked.

"We're happy," Robin said.

"I'm glad. And I'm sorry I had to bug you," Terra said.

"We forgive you…Or at least I sort of forgive you, I'm not sure about her," Robin said.

"You must really be good to her," Terra said.

"Did you call me for a password or this?" Robin asked.

"…Both," she said.

"You're ruining my morning," he said, annoyed.

"I thought you forgave me," she said.

"Guess not," he said, heading out of the bathroom.

When Robin walked back into the bedroom, he stopped short and stared at Raven, who was now lying outstretched over the covers on the bed.

"What?" Terra asked, seeing his change of expression.

"N-Nothing…Do you really need the password?" Robin asked.

"Yeah," Terra said.

Raven gave a small, wicked smile and gestured for him to hang up.

"I'll be right back, I promise," Robin said to Raven.

At that, Raven frowned and twisted into a more alluring pose.

"You're evil, you know that?" he said.

"Do I look evil?" she asked.

"No, you look…Don't move," he said, practically rushing out of the room with his hand over the screen of the communicator. When he closed the door behind him, he looked back to the communicator, and moved his hand from the screen.

"What was that about?" Terra asked, curious.

"None of your business, she's just…perfect," Robin said.

"And evil?" she asked, confused.

"Right now? Very," he said, taking the communicator and heading for the bat cave to get the list of passwords he had entrusted to Batman.

With Robin out of the room, Raven didn't have anything to keep her busy, so she felt like meditating. He would be back soon, she thought, so there was no need to climb back into bed. Memorizing the way she had posed for Robin, she then sat up and crossed her legs. As she closed her eyes and began her mantra, she began to feel like there was someone else in the room.

"Pleased with your choice?" Wraih's voice resounded in Raven's head.

"Yes, I love him. What do you want?" Raven asked.

"Your father has been repelled from this world once more. Yet, it is not enough," Wraih said.

"What do you mean?" Raven asked.

"There is much that you need to learn in order to prepare for the years to come," Wraih said.

"Why?" Raven asked.

"You know it already. I wish I could tell you that this is the end, but it is not so - as your father will attempt to conquer this world until the last inch of him has been banished into nothingness. Something such as this will happen again so you need to be capable of combating and escaping it," Wraih said.

"So, where do I start?" Raven asked.

"Read the books I gave you, learn all that you can, and I will be ensuring that you do so," Wraih said.

"Tell me; who are you?" Raven asked.

"Oh, you know, you just do not remember. Think. Who else would take such an interest, besides your mother? Someone she trusted. Someone she believed could save you," Wraih said.

"...You're supposed to be dead," Raven said, surprised.

"Am I? It was not Trigon's intention to end me, merely to harness what measure of influence I had over you at the time and turn me into something that could threaten you," Wraih said.

"If I knew it was you, Azar, it would've been easier for us to trust you. Why didn't you tell me before?" Raven asked.

"I wanted to see how you had changed, if you had at all, and what you would do. You did not disappoint. Now, we can pick up where we left off," Wraih said.

"I'm not sure if I remember where we were. And why did you take me in and teach me?" Raven said.

"Because you were the key to our victory against Trigon. You are his tool, his weapon, and you provide the only hope of destroying him once and for all. We will discover what remaining hidden power you have and perhaps finally - end the lasting threat of the greatest tyranny. Perhaps you were expecting me to surprise you, but there is no hidden agenda - there is only you, I, and now, Robin," Wraih explained.

"Will he have to learn the spells too?" Raven asked.

"That isn't clear at the moment, but we shall see," Wraih said.

"Where will you be, if we need you?" Raven asked.

"The crypt. I shall be checking in every now and then as well. You also will learn how to communicate with me like this, without requiring a bond," Wraih said.

"That sounds interesting. Thank you again, for everything you've done for me," Raven said.

"Do not thank me, I will do what I must to protect this world, and it may not always be for your benefit or desires, or his. Be wary of your old 'friends,' not all of them will tolerate this change for long..." Wraih said.

As Wraih's voice left Raven's head, Raven felt alone once more. Absorbing what Wraih had said, well what Azar had said, Raven laid back down and stared at the ceiling. If Beast Boy, Terra, Cyborg, or Starfire were a threat...it wouldn't be easy to convince Robin that they were. She wasn't entirely convinced, either. The only one who objected to their relationship was Starfire, as far as she knew. Robin had said that he handled it, maybe just not as well as he should have. Why did this have to happen so often? Why couldn't she be happy for five damn minutes? She knew better than most why it had to be this way; the future had more dark than light. The present was merely a shadow of the looming tragedies. For the longest time, she believed that nothing would make that future seem lighter. Then she met the Titans, they pushed her father back, so she could safely feel without worry, and Robin made it clear that she would never be alone. Maybe things wouldn't always be so terrible, after all. 'No, you idiot, they just find a new way to hurt,' she thought. 'At least now, someone will try and convince you otherwise,' she thought, thinking of Robin. Almost on cue, she heard the door open, and Robin entered, closing the door behind him. Twisting back into her pose, she then smiled at him, and raised an eyebrow.

"Well?" Raven asked.

"I almost hung up on her right when I found the list. She wouldn't stop asking me about 'how you were last night'," Robin said.

"Thanks for telling her to shut up," Raven said.

"It wasn't exactly hard," he said.

"At least she isn't-," she started.

"And she just didn't get the hint," he said.

"Well, you handled it-," she began again.

"Why did she need that now?" he asked.

"Yeah...if I was a guy and my horny girlfriend was posing naked on my bed, I'd ignore her to whine to her about idiots, too," she said, sarcastically.

"She sounds lucky...Oh, did you want me to move over there?" he teased.

"Shut up and get over here," she said.

"That's not an answer," he teased.

"Fine, then I'll start without you..." she said, grinning.

"Shut up. Let me put this back," he said, indicating the robe he was wearing, "and I'll be right there."

Crossing to the bathroom, Robin took off his robe and hung it by the shower. He stopped and took off his mask, placed it on the counter, and then walked from the bathroom over to the bed. Watching Raven follow his movements with her eyes, he climbed on the bed, crawled over next to her and kissed her. As he put his arm around her, he heard a knock at the door.

"Master Grayson?" came Alfred's voice from the other side of the door.

At that, Raven drew back and raised her eyebrows at Robin, as if to say 'so that's your name.'

"What is it Alfred?" Robin asked.

"It's almost time for breakfast, Master Wayne was wondering when you and Miss Roth would be joining him," Alfred said.

"We'll be down in half an hour," Robin said.

"Very well, shall I tell Miss Roth to be ready?" Alfred asked.

"No, I'll do it, Alfred," Robin said.

"Alright. It's good you found someone, Dick, she seems like a sweet girl, it would be nice if Bruce could find someone too," Alfred said.

Raven smiled at Robin as Alfred finished speaking.

"I know," Robin said.

"...I'll go and tell Master Wayne you'll be down shortly, then," Alfred said, walking away from the door.

As soon as they were sure Alfred was gone, Robin started to lean in to kiss Raven, but she shook her head.

"What?" Robin asked.

"You know you're not getting out of this that easily," Raven said.

"Fine...so, now you know," he said.

"Yes, but you somehow already knew my full name," she said.

"I heard you think it while I was introducing you to Alfred," he said.

"You could have said something, or told me yours to make us even," she said.

"When? We weren't alone together for very long when we first got here," he said.

"Ok, you're right...but I notice something. I know your name and...we're both still here. I still love you, Robin. And I can love Dick Grayson just as much. And I don't want to be anywhere else," she said.

"Thanks. That...I really needed to hear that. I love you, Raven. And I'll love Rachel Roth if...you want me to," he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You said Trigon used that name for you when he had control of you, so I think you hate it, don't you?" he asked.

"I do...but maybe it doesn't have to mean what it does now. You could give it a new meaning for me...and for you," she said.

"Maybe we could change it, or at least the last name?" he asked.

"You're talking about what, getting married?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said.

"We can't do that...I'm not sure I want to either," she said.

"Why not?" he asked.

"For one, it would be dangerous if the criminals we might be dealing with knew about it, they could get to one of us in order to stop or control the other. Not all of our friends were happy when we said we were together. And...we don't do that," she said.

"What do you mean by 'we don't do that'?" he asked.

"There are certain forces at work that won't react well if a demon is wedded...at all," she said.

"You're joking," he said.

"Not according to the books that Wraih gave me," she said.

"What 'forces'?" he asked.

"It gives my father more strength...but I'm not sure exactly how," she said.

"That's just great," he said, annoyed.

"Hey, will this decision really change anything between us?" she asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Of course not, but I'd like us to be able to choose it if we wanted to," he said.

"We will talk about it later. Right now, we only have a little while before we have to go down for breakfast, and... I'm still the girlfriend in your bed who wants you," Raven said, smiling at him.

"Right...How long do we have?" Robin asked, grinning.

"How long is 'forever'?" Raven asked, kissing Robin.

('The end' for now. I'm not sure exactly when the first chapter of the sequel will be up, but I do have a few good ideas for the plot - I've already got some dialogue ready for it. Since I like to stay ahead of my updates, and I have more classes this term – it might not be up until summer. If any of you have any thoughts on the sequel, please don't keep them to yourself. Hope you liked the story, and I hope you're looking forward to the next one. ~RavensMind~)


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